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Baby dies after California mom leaves him in car to get lip filler on 101-degree day, police say (www.latimes.com)

submitted 1 week ago by FirstCircle@lemmy.ml to c/mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.world

144 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I know, this is Actually Infuriating, but ... Also she didn't just leave the now-dead kid in the car, she left two in there to die, but one survived. My guess: with brain damage. "Always Beautiful Medical Spa" FFS. Duck lips were totally worth it.

A baby died after his mother left him and his 2-year-old sibling inside a car while she was getting lip filler at a Bakersfield medical spa on a 101-degree day, authorities said.

It is estimated that Hernandez’s children were in the vehicle without air-conditioning for 90 minutes, wrote Det. Kyle McNabb, noting that the internal temperature of a car can rise to a blistering 143 degrees in just one hour of 100-degree weather.

Hernandez told police she found her baby foaming at the mouth and having an apparent seizure after emerging from her procedure at Always Beautiful Medical Spa, according to the police report. She frantically dialed 911, and both her children were transported to a hospital for treatment.

By the time her 1-year-old arrived at Adventist Health hospital, he wasn’t breathing, had no pulse, his lips were blue, and he had an internal body temperature of 107.2 degrees

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[-] Pika@sh.itjust.works 36 points 1 week ago

She has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is being held in lieu of $1,080,000 bail,

My initial thought for this was "How do you plea Not Guilty willfully leaving two children in a car for 90 minutes." but then I found this later on

However, her 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid is equipped with an automatic feature that turns the engine off if it has been left running for one hour while in park, police said. Police estimate that the engine turned off around 3 p.m. and the children were left without air conditioning until Hernandez returned around 4:30 p.m.

Still super shitty, but also I think change the tone a little. Her expectation was that the car was going to be climate controlled for the procedure. Still stupid of her, and kids shouldn't be left alone that long, but it defo let me understand the "not guilty" plea

[-] Bbbbbbbbbbb@lemmy.world 39 points 1 week ago

She she parked at about 2, car turned off at about 3, she came back at about 4.30. She left a 1 year old and a 2 year old alone in public for 2.5 hours.

[-] onslaught545@lemmy.zip 25 points 1 week ago

Exactly. Even if it was 68F outside, it's still extreme negligence.

[-] SharkAttak@kbin.melroy.org 24 points 1 week ago

To add a nugget to the shit mountain, she would've left the car running for 2.5 hours.

[-] LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

People regularly camp overnight in their Toyota hybrids with them running, there's an entire Prius camping subreddit about it. I've done it myself to visit a dying family member in the desert, it only cost me $5.00 of gas to let it run all night with AC on. Engine only kicks on to charge the battery. So the car itself is whatever.

[-] socsa@piefed.social 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

This is banned in my city specifically because idling cars produce a ton of localized pollution. I can go some places in the summer and basically get sick walking through a parking lot because it is filled with idling cars and I have (fairly mild) asthma. Please do not idle your car for only the purpose of maintaining temperature .

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[-] Pika@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 week ago

Correct yea, the 90 minute timeframe was without AC.

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

And that assumes the AC didn’t crap out earlier because it was left idling in ridiculous heat. The system is not designed to be idled that long, and the cooling systems assume the car is moving for most of the time it’s on. (Both the engine and the cabin ac here.)

Even if the car didn’t turn off automatically, it’s still dangerous and in the “extremely stupid” degrees of negligence.

[-] Pika@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago

Firmly agree with the statement that it was irresponsible because yes it was regardless.

However, disagree with the statement that a climate control system is not meant to be operated while idle. That is an old myth that I expect came from back when there was fewer electrical components in the car so not turning the ac /off/ before turning the vehicle off would risk damaging the cars electrical.

To a vehicle's climate control system it doesn't give a damn if it's driving or idle. Now, while being idle, you have less fuel efficiency, And if you don't have the engine running, it will drain more battery than needed, which will make your battery less efficient. But as for actual wear and tear on the components, running it at idle is almost no difference than whether you're driving with it on.

Again, though, didn't claim it wasn't irresponsible either way, But it's highly unlikely that Climate system would have failed if the vehicle had stayed on.

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

However, disagree with the statement that a climate control system is not meant to be operated while idle. That is an old myth that I expect came from back when there was fewer electrical components in the car so not turning the ac /off/ before turning the vehicle off would risk damaging the cars electrical.

that's not actually a myth. The car is functionally not designed to be left on idle for extended periods. (Note, I'm saying extended periods. Warming/cooling your car at idle is normal. idling at a stop light is normal. Five minutes while waiting to pick some one up is normal. Leaving it to stay cool for 2 hours is outside that design window.)

When an engine is idling, it's turning at a lower RPM than when moving. of particular note here is that the alternator and AC compressor are both driven by the serpetine belt directly connected to the crankshaft. The lower RPM makes both less efficient. For the compressor, what this means is that the AC system is turning more slowly than it normally would, reducing the total amount of cooling. For the alternator; it produces less electricity and may cause the battery to be discharging. Depends on some things, including how hard the AC is having to work, etc.

Further, because the car is not moving, there is less air moving around the engine compartment (or wherever the radiator for the engine and the AC is located.) This equates to higher operating temperatures for the engine, as well as yet more reduced ability for the AC system to remove excess heat from the cabin.

just because an AC can be run at idle for extended periods doesn't mean it's designed to, and doing so, especially on old or poorly maintained systems, in excessive heat, is likely to cause it to crap out where it wouldn't have normally. Is it a particularly high probability? Not really. Is it still too high considering it's a life-safety system? fucking absolutely.

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[-] LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago

Yeah I still think she should be charged with child endangerment though because you never leave kids that young (too young apparently to open the door and leave) alone unattended, especially for that long.

[-] Scrollone@feddit.it 5 points 1 week ago

...and especially in a running car.

[-] tal@lemmy.today 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Setting aside the specifics of the case, I do think that from a UI standpoint, cars either need to support being left in park without the climate control eventually cutting off or be so extremely clear that this will happen that it would be extremely difficult for a user to miss, as this is a legitimate example of a "fail-deadly" feature.

IIRC from reading comments from people who have slept in their car and very much want the ability to leave the climate control system active, at least some Toyota models do support leaving the climate control active for extended periods of time, but the car needs to be in "Ready" mode. It was not immediately obvious to users that this was the case.

[-] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I own the same car, and it does tell you the car will turn off after an hour. As soon as the door is opened, you get a “car will automatically turn off after one hour. Do you want to disable this” type of message. It also pings you with the same message in the app.

Also, she left a one year old and a two year old completely unsupervised for two and a half hours. I wouldn’t even trust a four year old with that much unsupervised time; little kids are personified suicide attempts.

[-] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago

Even if it weren't for the car turning itself off, the car could overheat idling in the heat. Hybrids are not immune from that. I own one and had it happen while idling because my kid was napping and I stayed in the car with him in the driveway of the house. I was in the car, and noticed the AC suddenly got hot. I turned the car off and noticed the pool of coolant under the car. I woke up the kid, and went inside and ordered a radiator (which was a bitch to install btw). It's incredibly negligent to leave your kids in a running car on a hot day. Also, someone could just come in and steal the running car with the kids in it. I hope they throw the book at her tbh.

[-] stinerman@midwest.social 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

You always plead not guilty when arraigned. That gives your lawyer time to make a deal with the prosecutor.

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[-] Dudewitbow@lemmy.zip 20 points 1 week ago

jesus christ, the mother was fucking 20, and she was allowed to take the children into the lobby but opted out of it.

she blatently knew and asked about her options and chose the one with the highest risk.

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

wait... the staff KNEW?

Fuck them too.

[-] Dudewitbow@lemmy.zip 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

they knew she had children, but im not completely aware she asked the day of the appointment or not. its completely possible she asked when booking the appointment on a different day. its just at some point the establishment was asked.

edit: it mentions earlier in the day. so there was no guarantee that the staff KNEW the kids were out there during the appointment, but knew she had kids.

whether they knew she took them with her for the appointment is a different question thats yet to be answered

[-] Moonrise2473@feddit.it 6 points 1 week ago

Highest risk? Death was almost guaranteed in this case.

[-] onslaught545@lemmy.zip 9 points 1 week ago

She did leave the car running, but it shut off after an hour.

It's still super negligent to leave a 1 and 2 year old alone in public for 2.5h, regardless of the weather.

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[-] FirstCircle@lemmy.ml 20 points 1 week ago

"The car was parked in a space facing west during the hottest part of the day."

Hernandez was getting a lip filler procedure at the Always Beautiful Med Spa Sunday, according to reports. Those same reports say she didn’t check on her children until two and a half hours later.

“In a normal person, it’s not gonna happen,” said Gricelda Anaya.

Anaya works next door and saw people scrambling into the building to try to save the boys.

“What we see on the camera is that they’re trying to put cold water right here on the reception, and it was something very sad that never had to happen.”

Those scrambling people are probably going to have some kind of PTSD now too.

Oh and Dad's in prison for some other unspecified reason.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/never-had-to-happen-court-documents-reveal-horrific-details-in-death-of-1-year-old-in-hot-car/ar-AA1HVbMl

[-] TheLoneMinon@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

However, her 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid is equipped with an automatic feature that turns the engine off if it has been left running for one hour while in park, police said. Police estimate that the engine turned off around 3 p.m. and the children were left without air conditioning until Hernandez returned around 4:30 p.m.>

Looks like she left the car on and it shut itself off. Still inexcusably stupid, but it wasn't quite as brain dead as just deciding to leave them in a hot car in the middle of summer.

Her child died because of her stupidity and the over-engineering of the 2022 Toyota Corolla. c/fuckcars

[-] teegus@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 week ago

yes, but.. you're telling me that she left a 1 yo and a 2 yo alone for 2,5 hours? forget the car and the weather. You shouldnt do that ANYWHERE. I wouldn't have left my kid alone for 2,5 minutes at that age.

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[-] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 week ago

And honestly, the vehicle engineers are partly to blame for this in my opinion. Are you telling me there are no sensors in the car to let you know if there is a person in the seat so that their stupid little seatbelt not fasten chimes can ring? If they can tell that there's a person inside, or that there is still a seatbelt buckled, DON'T TURN THE AC OFF AUTOMATICALLY

[-] quokka1@mastodon.au 12 points 1 week ago

@Pyr_Pressure @TheLoneMinon Cars are seeming to forget who is in charge.
I've a mate who's just dropped over 100k on a brand new LandCruiser and deliberately went for not the top-spec because it has too many "safety" features. And he's still finding things like it won't drive if a door is open - so no leaning out to reverse his towed caravan. Lane departure assist is ridiculously aggressive (and actually dangerous when towing a big caravan). Dog on the back seats sets the seatbelt alarms off. And way too much other stuff. Some of it can be disabled permanently with the aid of an ODB dongle.
Car makers need to just stop.

[-] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 week ago

I had to drive a new Toyota Tacoma for a biology job. I needed to drive it in "offroad" conditions, which means there was grass over 12" in height (farm field).

It would automatically slam on the brakes and scare the shit out of me every time I tried to reverse and it thought the grass was something I was going to hit.

Drove me absolutely insane.

[-] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 week ago

I do not condon leaving children alone in a vehicle for ANY amount of time...

But I also absolutely despise vehicle manufacturers thinking their unnecessary "features" are in any way needed at all, especially in a form which cannot be disabled or needs to be disabled after each time the vehicle turns off and then on.

Fucking hate vehicle manufacturer engineers. Probably one of the least needed jobs out there.

VEHICLES ALREADY HAVE EVERYTHING THEY NEED, STOP ADDING SHIT EVERY YEAR JUST FOR THE SAKE OF ADDING SHIT.

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[-] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

Me reading this article:

Huh, California?

Oh, Bakersfield. Say no more

[-] Outwit1294@lemmy.today 10 points 1 week ago

Getting lip fillers…the kind of people who should not have children

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[-] ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

One of my more controversial views is that having children should require a permit, like adoption currently requires, you'd need proof that you are able and willing to raise a child in the environment they deserve to be raised in.

Yes I realize what the downsides would be.

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[-] reseller_pledge609@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

How the fuck does this even happen? How are they left in the car and not with grandparents or family? How do you not realise they are going to be VERY UNCOMFORTABLE at best or just straight-up DEAD when you get back?

This woman should go to prison for life and get plenty of mental health checkups and assistance while she's in there. Just in case she's ever released for whatever reason. Maybe she'll come back functional.

[-] Pika@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 week ago

For clarification/elaboration. The car was running when she left them. Her mentality was that they were going to sit in the AC the entire time, but unbeknownst to her, the car had an auto-shutoff feature that turns off the car after 60 minutes of idle in park. Not that it makes it much better, but it's not like she intended the children to be in the heat that long.

[-] FirstCircle@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 week ago

Leaving your baby children alone in a running car ... you parents out there ... clue me in, but isn't this the pinnacle of irresponsibility, even on a cool day? I thought "you don't leave kids alone in a running car" was a widely-known and accepted principle, probably since cars were invented. Fold into that the fact that the kids would be in a hazardous environment (protected only by the integrity of the A/C system) as well as in an unprotected environment (car break ins maybe, kidnapping, crashes (even in a parking lot), battery fires ...), why would anyone think it would be preferable to leave one's kids in such a situation, when

Earlier in the day, Hernandez had texted the nurse performing her treatment to ask whether she could bring her children, to which the nurse responded, “Sure if you don’t mind them waiting in the waiting room,” according to the police report.

No, no, much more convenient to leave them in SoCal sun in a parking lot in your car, for hours. And all this just to get your duck lips. FFS.

[-] CeeBee_Eh@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

you parents out there ... clue me in, but isn't this the pinnacle of irresponsibility, even on a cool day?

I wouldn't leave my 1 year old alone for more than 5 minutes in the centre of a pillow fort in my house with the AC on (bad analogy, soft fluffy surfaces can be dangerous to small children if they can't get their faces up reliably to get air).

There have been countless times when it's a nice 18 degrees Celsius outside and I needed to run into the store to grab ONE thing. A total in and out time of maybe 3 minutes. I also live in a quiet and safe town. And yet each and every time, I took the effort to get my kid out of his car seat, carry him inside with me, get the stuff, and do the whole process of getting him into his seat, get him bucked in, get his toys set up again, etc.

I would throw myself off a cliff for being the worst parent imaginable if I left him in the car for those 3 minutes because I couldn't make the effort.

This mother from the news didn't deserve the child that died and neither of them deserved her as a mother, for all that term does any good here.

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[-] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Prison isn't designed for rehabilitation. It's designed for legalized slavery.

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[-] Ilya12@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

Is this woman crazy? What kind of sane person would leave their kid alone in a car for two hours, especially in this heat?

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[-] hornedfiend@sopuli.xyz 7 points 1 week ago

Almost anyone can have children, but not everyone can be a parent.

[-] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 week ago

Bakersfield is a conservative shit show

[-] dbtng@eviltoast.org 6 points 1 week ago

Is this mildly infuriating? No. This is a joke comm, not a group cry.

[-] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 week ago

Fuck

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 6 points 1 week ago

its 101 degrees outside the car, but inside it can reach as much as 130-140f.

[-] flop_leash_973@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

I don't understand how someone makes the logical leaps they do in these kinds of cases. Even from a purely selfish stand point, the risk of exactly what happened and the fallout are just not worth it to make that appointment right then and there or just have the kids sit in the lobby.

I must be losing my grip on reality, trying to reason why someone that thinks this way does the things they do.

[-] xta@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

if you can afford lip filler, you can afford in a babysitter instead of put their lives at risk, just my 2 cents....

[-] Jesusaurus@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Just get a baby sitter for 2 hours... Assuming it's really that critical (which obviously this was not...)

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this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2025

135 points (95.9% liked)

Mildly Infuriating

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