Anaheim mother arrested for allegedly leaving her daughter in a car during 104 degree heat wave
Anaheim police arrested a woman for her 3-year-old daughter's death after the pair lost consciousness inside an SUV Friday afternoon.
The doctors who pronounced the young girl dead believe she died from heat stroke, according to the Anaheim Police Department. Investigators said it was 104 degrees outside when a family member pulled the girl out of the SUV.
It happened on Sept. 6 at about 4:20 p.m. in the 1300 block of N. Fashion Lane. Paramedics from Anaheim Fire and Rescue immediately performed life-saving measures on the little girl, identified as Ily Elizabeth Ruiz by her family, before taking her to the hospital, where she later died. Officers also found the girl's mother, 41-year-old Sandra Hernandez, unconscious in the same vehicle.
After paramedics took Hernandez to the hospital, police obtained a search warrant for the inside of the SUV. Inside, they found several empty alcohol bottles. The Orange County District Attorney's Office said Hernandez's blood alcohol level was .30, more than three times the legal limit.
Officers do not know how long Hernandez and her daughter were inside the overheating vehicle until the family member pulled the little girl out. However, doctors estimate that the 3-year-old had been dead for several hours before family found her.
Prosecutors charged her with one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of child abuse causing great bodily injury. If convicted as charged, she faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison. She's being held on a $150,000 bail.
Investigators asked anyone with information to contact them at (714) 765-1900. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1(855) 847-6227 or through their website.
