mother due in court following heat-related death of son

Courtesy KBAK

mother due in court following heat-related death of son

A Porterville woman whose 1-year-old son died after being left inside a hot car in Bakersfield is due in court Tuesday.

Prosecutors say Maya Hernandez, 20, left her two sons inside a parked car for more than two hours while she got lip injections at a beauty spa on Real Road on June 29.

The outside temperature was over 100 degrees at the time, and Hernandez’s son Amillio Gutierrez, 1, died because of the heat. Her 2-year-old son survived.

Hernandez told police she thought the children would be fine because she left the car running with the air-conditioning set to 60 degrees. The vehicle automatically shut off after an hour.

Hernandez has been arraigned on charges of involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty, however prosecutors say they intend to file a motion to amend the criminal complaint. It remains unclear what changes are planned.

Hernandez’s bail was set at over $1 million.