A family has been met with yet another tragedy following the death of a three-year-old girl.
Juan Ruiz’s daughter Ily, aged three, tragically passed away after allegedly being left in a hot car by her mother, Sandra Hernandez-Cazares.
Family members found both Hernandez-Cazares and Ily in the car on Friday (September 6). The 42-year-old mother was discovered intoxicated and unconscious, while Ily was found deceased in the back seat.
It is believed that Ily’s death resulted from being left in the vehicle as temperatures soared above 100°F in Los Angeles, California, on that day.
Court records indicate that Hernandez-Cazares faces charges of one felony count of involuntary manslaughter and one felony count of child abuse causing great bodily injury.
The loss of Ily is a devastating blow for the family, marking the third death they have endured.
In 2012, Hernandez-Cazares and Ruiz’s sons, then aged five and nine, died in a camping accident in North Dakota when a drunk driver crashed into their tent.
The grieving couple later had two more children: Ily and a five-year-old son named Lazarus.
In response to the recent tragedy, Ruiz, who separated from Hernandez-Cazares last year, has asserted that the mother of his children would never intentionally harm them.
It appears that the mother had been suffering from depression, and Ruiz had sought help from her family, but “nobody listened.”
“I’m not going to speak badly about Sandra because she’s not a bad person,” Ruiz told MailOnline. “She needs help.”
Ruiz continued: “I am angry. It doesn’t change the fact that she did what she did. Right? I’m angry at her family for not listening to me.
“I am angry but I am trying to be clear-minded here and tell you guys that she would never do this on purpose.”
Speaking about his late daughter Ily, the heartbroken father said: “She was my only girl. I never expected to have a girl. I named her ILY – which stands for ‘I love you’ and my mom’s middle name was Elizabeth.”
“She loved everything,” Ruiz added. “Princesses, Frozen. She loved helping me cook.”
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer commented: “The unimaginable pain of having your 5-year-old and 9-year-old sons killed by a drunk driver is something from which you can never recover.
“Anyone who has suffered such a devastating tragedy knows the ripple effects of grief may be able to be hidden, but the heartbreak of losing your children will never go away.
“A mother who was robbed of the chance to see two of her sons grow up because of the selfish decision of a stranger will have to live with the fact she will never get to see her little girl grow up because of the choices she made.”
Hernandez-Cazares is currently held on $150,000 bail and faces a potential maximum sentence of 12 years in prison.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, assistance is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to connect with a 24-hour crisis center, or visit 988lifeline.org for webchat services. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.