The case is moving forward against a 20-year-old Visalia woman accused of murder after allegedly leaving her two young sons inside a hot car in southwest Bakersfield.

A judge on Thursday refused to drop a murder charge against Maya Hernandez. Prosecutors say Hernandez left her one- and two-year-old boys alone for two hours in her Toyota outside a spa on South Real Road on June 29, 2025, while she went inside for a cosmetic procedure.

The temperature was around 101 degrees. One-year old Amillio Gutierrez died, but his two-year-old brother survived.

Hernandez is scheduled to appear in court on August 29 for a hearing. Her trial is scheduled to start on September 8.