Police: Toddler Died in Hot Car While Mom Was in Spa

Police say car shut off automatically while kids were inside
Posted Jul 10, 2025 3:30 AM CDT
Mom Charged After Toddler Dies in Hot Car During Spa Visit
Stock photo.   (Getty Images / David Herlianto)

A California mother is facing involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty charges after the death of her 1-year-old son, who authorities say was left in a hot car while the woman received lip filler injections. Maya Hernandez, 20, is accused of leaving her two young children in her 2022 Toyota Corolla for more than two hours on June 29, as temperatures outside reached 101 degrees in Bakersfield. Police say the internal temperature of the car could have climbed as high as 143 degrees, NBC News reports.

Hernandez reportedly told police she left the air conditioning on at 60 degrees, provided her children, ages 1 and 2, with snacks and a cellphone, and believed the car would stay running. But officials learned the Corolla is designed to shut off automatically after an hour of inactivity. Hernandez said she did not check on her children during her appointment, despite being told by a nurse that the children could wait inside the spa's waiting room. Family members tell ABC 7 the children were strapped in their car seats.

When Hernandez returned to the car, court records state one child was foaming at the mouth and having seizures. She called 911 and attempted resuscitation, but her 1-year-old son was pronounced dead at the hospital with an internal temperature of 107 degrees. Her 2-year-old son survived and was placed in protective custody. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty and is being held on $1 million bail.

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