BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Detectives questioned a Bakersfield mother about her decision-making after her one-year-old son died from heat stroke while left in a parked car as she attended a cosmetic procedure, according to court testimony.
According to Court TV Two days after the June 29 death of one-year-old Amillio Gutierrez, investigators interviewed his mother, Maya Hernandez, following her arrest.
During the recorded interview, Lead Detective Kyle McNabb asked Hernandez what she believed could happen if children were left unattended in a car.
“What do you think could happen if you leave your kids there?” McNabb asked.
“What happened, I guess. I don’t know,” Hernandez responded.
Hernandez is currently on trial, facing charges of second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and child endangerment in connection with her son’s death.
In the second interview, which was played for jurors last week, Hernandez told detectives she is a certified nursing assistant and acknowledged being aware of the dangers of leaving children alone in vehicles.
“I didn’t leave him in there to die,” Hernandez said in the recording.
“I don’t think it was intentional,” McNabb replied.
McNabb also questioned Hernandez about whether she had planned what to do with her children when she arrived at the medical spa. Hernandez said she had not, despite bringing a stroller and being told by the spa that her children could remain in the waiting area during her procedure.
Hernandez told detectives she left her children in the car because they were asleep, claiming the air conditioning was running and that she left her phone with them.
Prosecutor Stephanie Taconi later asked McNabb whether these statements matched Hernandez’s earlier accounts. McNabb testified that Hernandez had previously said she did not bring the children inside because she was worried about leaving them unattended in the waiting area during her procedure.
On Thursday, prosecutors also called Harmony Pacheco, the registered nurse who performed Hernandez’s procedure, to testify. Pacheco said Hernandez came in for a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) appointment that lasted approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Pacheco testified that after the procedure, Hernandez left briefly to retrieve her phone for payment. When she returned, Hernandez was carrying Amillio in her arms.
“He was purple, he had foam in his mouth, but I didn’t get such a great look at the child,” Pacheco testified. “I shouted for someone to call an ambulance, and then she went back outside.”
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