A California mother has been arrested in the death of her three-year-old daughter who was trapped in a hot car where temperatures reached more than 100 degrees.
The girl’s mother, Sandra Hernandez, 41, and her daughter Ily Ruiz were discovered by a family member inside a locked Ford Expedition in the 1300 block of North Fashion Lane in Anaheim on Friday afternoon.
The relative managed to pull the unconscious girl from the vehicle, but she later died after being rushed to hospital by paramedics.
Hernandez was booked on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and gross child neglect, Anaheim Police Sgt. Matt Sutter said Monday. He also revealed that several bottles of alcohol had been found inside the vehicle. ABC News 7 reported.
Ily Elizabeth Ruiz, 3, was found unconscious in a hot car on Friday and died
Hernandez and her daughter were found in the locked Ford Expedition Friday afternoon in the 1300 block of North Fashion Lane in Anaheim.
An official autopsy report is pending, but authorities said the cause of the boy’s death was complications from heat stroke. Temperatures that day had reached a sweltering 40 degrees.
Hernandez was also taken to the hospital and later taken into custody after being released.
Ily’s heartbroken father, Juan Ruiz, was overwhelmed with grief over the tragic death of his only daughter.
Ruiz had previously lost two young sons, ages 5 and 9, after they were killed when a drunk driver crashed into their tent while the family was camping in North Dakota.
The current relationship between Hernandez and Ruiz is unclear.
Her cousin Nancy Salamarca said: ‘Ily was his princess, his daughter. He loves his children. That’s what he lives for.
“Knowing that he’s reliving all of this again makes us feel bad for him,” she continued. “He’s heartbroken. He’s devastated.”
Salamarca’s husband, Waleed Salimi, added that she has one surviving child: a son named Lazarus.
“He has one thing, one thing for himself,” Salimi said. “That’s why he’s going to fight hard for his son, because we’re here to support him as a family.”
The little girl pictured with her older brother is seen holding a bottle and smiling.
In 2012, Ruiz’s two young children — Alaries, 5, and Cyrisges, 5 — were killed when a drunk driver crashed into their tent while the family was camping in North Dakota.
Salamarca has created a GoFundMe to help pay for the child’s funeral and memorial.
The donations, he explained, will also go toward helping his cousin move from Texas to California so he can care for his son and find a new job.
“It is with deep pain and sadness that we have to announce the passing of our cousin Juan’s precious daughter, ILY ELIZABETH RUIZ,” she wrote.
‘ILY was a beautiful and innocent soul with a very loving and cheerful personality. We still struggle to accept the idea of ILY no longer being with us.
“She has been tragically taken from our family in such an unfathomable way, and all we want to do is ease the burden and pain her father Juan and the family are going through right now.”
“We thank and love you all for being there for Juan and the family, keeping ILY and the family in your thoughts and prayers, and we truly appreciate any help you can provide,” she added.
As of Tuesday, more than $8,800 of their $25,000 goal has been raised.
On Sunday, another three-year-old girl died after being abandoned in a hot car for more than two hours in 101°F heat in Arizona.
The girl’s family had returned home from an outing and didn’t realize she was still in the pickup truck parked outside, Buckeye police said.
The names of the child and his parents have not yet been revealed.
A police spokesman said: “No arrests have been made at this stage and the investigation is ongoing.”