Topics: California, Crime, Los Angeles, News, Parenting, US News
A family have been struck with another tragedy following the death of a three-year-old girl.
Juan Ruiz's daughter Ily, three, has sadly died after allegedly being left in a hot car by her mother, Sandra Hernandez-Cazares.
Relatives found the pair in Hernandez-Cazares' vehicle on Friday (September 6) with the 42-year-old mother intoxicated and unconscious, while Ily was discovered deceased in the back.
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It's thought Ily died as a result of being left in the vehicle when temperatures hit north of 100°F in Los Angeles, California, on the day in question.
As per court records, Hernandez-Cazares has been charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter and one felony count of child abuse causing great bodily injury.
While a parent would hope to never experience the loss of a child, Ily's untimely passing marks the third death for the family.
In 2012, Hernandez-Cazares and Ruiz's sons, aged five and nine at the time, died on a camping trip in North Dakota after a drunk driver plowed into their tent.
The bereaved couple went on to welcome two more children together; Ily and five-year-old son Lazarus.
Speaking out in the wake of their recent heartbreak, Ruiz, who separated from Hernandez-Cazares last year, has insisted that the mother of his kids wouldn't ever intentionally harm them.
Apparently the mom had been suffering with depression and he'd called on her family for help but 'nobody listened'.
"I’m not going to speak badly about Sandra because she’s not a bad person," he told MailOnline. "She needs help."
Ruiz went on: "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 dad 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 went on. "Princesses'. Frozen. She loved helping me cook."
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said: “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 being held in lieu of $150,000 bail and faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
