The death of a child is every parent's worst nightmare. Too many mothers and fathers, tragically, experience this in their lifetimes. But to lose multiple children in terrible, preventable accidents is simply unbearable.
A California father has spoken out after his 3-year-old daughter recently died in a hot car with her allegedly drunk mother. More than a decade earlier, two of his other children died in a DUI-related car accident. And now, he has broken his silence on the terrible tragedies and the mother of his children.
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Family members found Sandra Hernandez-Cazares unconscious next to the body of her 3-year-old daughter, Ily Ruiz, in a car in Anaheim, California.
On September 6, family members discovered Sandra Hernandez-Cazares, 42, of Anaheim, California, passed out in a car next to the body of her 3-year-old daughter, Ily Ruiz, according to an Anaheim Police Department news release.
A search for mother and daughter happened after Hernandez-Cazares's son, Lazarus, had not been picked up from school, according to a news release from the Orange County Prosecutors Office. Authorities responded to the scene at roughly 4:20 p.m. Allegedly, Hernandez-Cazares's vehicle had "empty alcohol bottles" inside, and her blood alcohol level at the hospital was .30.
Ily died from suspected heat stroke in the hot vehicle.
Although paramedics and relatives attempted to revive Ily, she died from suspected heat stroke in what prosecutors described as "extreme temperatures" that reached 104 degrees, the Orange Country news release detailed. Doctors believe the 3-year-old had been dead for several hours before she was found.
Ily's father, Juan Ruiz, described Ily as having a “bubbly personality" and a love for “everything princesses" in an interview with People.
In 2012, Hernandez-Cazares and Ruiz lost two children, Cyris and Alaries, in a DUI accident.
In 2012, Hernandez-Cazares and Ruiz's sons, Cyris Alexander Ruiz, 9, and Alaries Marcos Ruiz, 5, died. A drunk driver ran them over while camping in North Dakota, the Orange County Prosecutor's Office noted. The bereaved parents advocated for stricter DUI laws in the wake of their tragic deaths.
"This is my third child to lose," Ruiz told NBC 4 News. "So I am broken. I am devastated, and I am angry."
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Ruiz urged the public not to vilify Hernandez-Cazares.
Ruiz told People that Hernandez-Cazares never recovered from the 2012 deaths of their sons. “Sandy was a good mom when she was okay,” he said “She needs help, she would never do this on purpose. I don’t want people to hate her. Just leave the hate for me.”
If convicted on all charges, Hernandez-Cazares faces up to 12 years in prison.
Hernandez-Cazares has been charged with felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and child abuse causing great bodily injury. She is being held at Orange County Jail on a $150,000 bond. If convicted on all charges, Hernandez-Cazares faces a maximum sentence of 12 years.
