Toddler Dies After Being Left in Hot Car While Mother Attends Cosmetic Appointment in Bakersfield

A tragic incident in Bakersfield, California has led to the arrest of 20-year-old Maya Hernandez, who is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty after her one-year-old son died from extreme heat exposure inside her car.

According to a police report filed in Kern County Superior Court, Hernandez left her two young sons, aged 1 and 2, inside her 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid for several hours on the afternoon of June 29, while she underwent a cosmetic procedure at Always Beautiful Medical Spa.

Authorities say the children were left in the backseat of the vehicle, strapped into their car seats, with the engine running and the air conditioning allegedly on. Hernandez told officers she provided the children with snacks, milk, and her cell phone set up to play videos. She entered the spa around 2 p.m., reportedly for a lip filler treatment, and did not return to the vehicle until 4:30 p.m.

When she arrived back at her car, Hernandez claimed she found her 1-year-old son foaming at the mouth and shaking, showing signs of a seizure. She immediately called 911, according to the police report.

Responding officers found the infant unconscious, not breathing, and with blue discoloration around his lips. His older brother, age 2, was soaking wet from sweat and appeared lethargic, the report noted.

Both children were rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital. The 1-year-old had no pulse upon arrival, his lips and soles of his feet were blue, and his internal temperature was recorded at 107.2 degrees Fahrenheit, a level consistent with fatal heatstroke. Despite medical efforts to revive him, he was pronounced dead approximately an hour later.

The older child survived the incident, though officials have not disclosed the extent of his medical condition.

Police allege that Hernandez's decision to leave her children unattended in a vehicle for over two hours on a summer afternoon contributed directly to the fatal outcome. Investigators are working to confirm whether the air conditioning had functioned continuously or if it failed at some point during the procedure.

Hernandez was arrested and charged shortly after the investigation began. The case has sparked renewed public concern about vehicular heatstroke, a leading cause of non-crash-related child fatalities in the United States. Even with windows cracked or the A/C running, temperatures inside a parked car can become dangerously high within minutes—especially during summer months.

As the legal proceedings unfold, authorities are urging all caregivers to take extra precautions and never leave children unattended in vehicles, regardless of outside conditions or how briefly they plan to be away.