A California mother has been arrested in connection with the death of her 3-year-old daughter, who was trapped in a hot car in temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
The child’s mother, Sandra Hernandez, 41, and her daughter Ily Ruiz were found Friday afternoon by a family member in a locked Ford Expedition at 1300 North Fashion Lane in Anaheim.
The family member managed to get the unconscious child out of the car, but she later died after being taken to hospital by paramedics.
Hernandez was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and felony child abuse, Anaheim police Sgt. Matt Sutter said Monday. He also revealed that multiple bottles of alcohol were found in the vehicle, ABC 7 News reported.
Ily Elizabeth Ruiz, 3, was found unconscious in a hot car on Friday and died
Hernandez and her daughter were found Friday afternoon in the locked Ford Expedition at 1300 North Fashion Lane in Anaheim
The official autopsy report is still pending, but authorities said the cause of death was complications from heatstroke. Temperatures that day had soared to a sweltering 104 degrees.
Hernandez was also taken to the hospital and was later arrested after being medically cleared.
Ily’s father Juan Ruiz was overcome with grief over the tragic death of his only daughter.
Ruiz previously lost two young sons, ages 5 and 9, after they were killed when a drunk driver plowed into their tent while the family was camping in North Dakota.
The current relationship between Hernandez and Ruiz is unclear.
His cousin Nancy Salamarca said: ‘Ily was his princess, his daughter. He loves his children. That’s what he lives for.
“To know he’s reliving all of this, we just feel sorry for him,” she continued. “He’s broken. He’s just broken.”
Salamarca’s husband Waleed Salimi added that he has one more child, a son named Lazarus.
“He has one thing left – one thing for himself,” Salimi said. “So he’s going to fight hard for his son, because we’re here to support him as a family.”
The child in the photo with her older brother is holding a bottle and smiling
In 2012, Ruiz’s two young sons — Alaries, five, and Cyrisges, five — were killed when a drunk driver crashed into their tent while the family was camping in North Dakota.
Salamarca has a GoFundMe to help pay for the child’s funeral and memorial.
She explained that the donations will also be used to help her nephew move from Texas to California so he can care for his son and find a new job.
“It is with great sadness and sorrow that we must inform you that ILY ELIZABETH RUIZ, the dear daughter of our cousin Juan, has passed away,” she wrote.
‘ILY was such a beautiful and innocent soul with a very loving and bubbly personality. It is still hard to comprehend that ILY is no more.
“She was taken from our family in a tragic and incomprehensible way. All we want to do is ease the burden and pain that her father Juan and the family are going through at this time.”
“We thank you and love you all for being there for Juan and the family, for keeping ILY and the family in your thoughts and prayers, and we greatly appreciate any help you can provide,” she added.
As of Tuesday, more than $8,800 had been raised toward the goal of $25,000.
On Sunday, another three-year-old girl died after being left in a hot car for more than two hours in 100-degree Fahrenheit temperatures in Arizona.
The girl’s family returned home from an outing and didn’t realize she was still in the SUV parked out front, Buckeye police said.
The names of the child and parents have not yet been released.
A police spokesperson said that “no arrests have been made at this time and the investigation is ongoing.”