Toddler dies after being left in hot car as mother gets lip fillers, police say

A California mother faces serious criminal charges after allegedly leaving her two toddlers in a sweltering car for over two hours while receiving cosmetic lip injections at a Bakersfield spa, resulting in the death of her 1-year-old son.

On June 29, temperatures in Bakersfield, California, soared to 101 degrees Fahrenheit, turning the inside of a parked car into a deadly trap. According to local police, Maya Hernandez left her two young sons, ages one and two, alone inside her locked 2022 Toyota Corolla hybrid while she underwent a cosmetic procedure at Always Beautiful Medica Spa.

Initially, Hernandez reportedly asked spa staff if children were allowed inside, receiving confirmation from employees that they could wait in the waiting room. However, when she arrived for her lip filler treatment, Hernandez did not mention her sons and instead left them strapped in their car seats, according to reports by 23ABC News.

Authorities later determined that Hernandez left the car running with air conditioning set to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Tragically, the car’s automatic shutoff system disabled the engine after one hour, causing the interior temperature to rise to a deadly 143 degrees.

Fatal consequences unfold

Police reports reveal Hernandez did not check on her children for at least two hours. Upon finally returning around 4:30 p.m., she discovered her 1-year-old son, Amillio Gutierrez, suffering seizures and foaming at the mouth. A nearby spa customer immediately attempted to cool down the surviving 2-year-old, rushing him to a restroom and dousing him with water.

“In a normal person, it’s not gonna happen,” Gricelda Anaya, who witnessed the incident unfold, told local media. Surveillance footage showed frantic attempts by spa staff and customers to revive the children.

Both children were rushed to the hospital, but Amillio, whose body temperature had risen dangerously to 107 degrees, could not be saved. His older brother survived, registering a body temperature of 99 degrees. Medical experts explained the younger child’s inability to regulate body heat contributed significantly to his death, as infants lack the sweating mechanism needed to handle extreme heat exposure.

Family grapples with unimaginable loss

The boys’ grandmother, Katie Martinez, expressed deep anguish, sharing how she has sat alone in her car with the engine off, experiencing firsthand the suffocating heat her grandsons endured.

“They were strapped in their car seats. They couldn’t even get up to save themselves,” Martinez told ABC7. “If you just take 20 minutes out of your day and go in your car and feel how it feels, that’s the only thing that will teach you how to know what a kid feels.”

The children’s father, currently incarcerated on unrelated charges, learned of his son’s death from a jail chaplain, intensifying the family’s suffering.

When confronted by police, Hernandez acknowledged she knew the dangers but could not explain why she left her sons unattended. She now faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty, with bail set at over $1 million. She is scheduled to appear for a pre-preliminary hearing later this week.

The Bakersfield community remains shaken, emphasizing that the loss was preventable and calling for accountability.

Amillio Gutierrez’s death serves as a harsh reminder: even brief moments of negligence can lead to permanent consequences. No cosmetic appointment or errand ever justifies risking a child’s life.

As the community and family mourn, the tragic event challenges us to reflect on the profound responsibility adults hold when caring for vulnerable children—whose lives depend entirely on responsible decision-making.