ANAHEIM, CA – 42-year-old Sandra Hernandez has been charged with child neglect and involuntary manslaughter after her 3-year-old daughter suffered from a fatal heatstroke in a hot car. The incident occurred in Anaheim, California on Friday while Hernandez allegedly lay unconscious in her Ford Expedition from alcohol.
Officials found several bottles of alcohol in the vehicle. The drunken mother’s blood alcohol level was reportedly nearly quadruple the legal threshold. Hernandez and her daughter, identified as Ily Ruiz, were hurried to a local hospital after being discovered by a family member. The child was declared dead on arrival, believed to have succumbed to a heatstroke.
It is pertinent to note that Hernandez had previously lost two sons, aged 5 and 9, when a drunk driver crashed into their camping tent. Responding to this recent incident, authorities stated they do not suspect it was an intended murder-suicide attempt.
Juan Ruiz, the bereft father of the child and estranged husband of Hernandez, voiced his anger and anguish to the press. He shared that his wife succumbed to alcoholism while battling depression and expressed regret that her family ignored his pleas for intervention. He is adamant that this was a tragic accident and not a deliberate act, but that it doesn’t lessen his resentment towards Sandra.
Hernandez has been remanded into custody with a bail set at $150,000.