
Mom charged with manslaughter after leaving son in hot car to go to med spa
Amillio Gutierrez, a 1-year-old, and his 2-year-old brother were allegedly left strapped in their car seats in Bakersfield, Calif. on June 29 while their mother, Maya Hernandez, 20, visited Always Beautiful Med Spa, according to a police report obtained by USA TODAY.
Both children were taken to a local hospital, where the youngest child died. The older sibling was in stable condition and placed in protective custody, according to police.
The Bakersfield woman was charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of willful cruelty to a child, according to online court records. She is being held on a bond set at just over $1 million.
Police: Mother was at medical spa while boys were in hot car
At approximately 5 p.m. on June 29, police received a call about an unresponsive child in Bakersfield, located around 110 miles northwest of Los Angeles, according to the police report. Upon arrival, authorities observed that the youngest child was unconscious, not breathing, and had a bluish discoloration around his lips while the other brother had "soaking wet" hair and "appeared lethargic," the report read. By 5:48 p.m., Amillio, the youngest, was pronounced dead.
Investigators soon spoke to Hernandez, who stated that she had left the boys in her 2022 Toyota Corolla with the air conditioner on, according to the police report. While she went into the spa, the boys were in their carseats with snacks, milk, water, and her phone propped up to watch television, Hernandez told police.
The car's air conditioner was set to 60 degrees with the fan on level 4 out of 7, but when officers consulted a car expert, they discovered that the Toyota she drove automatically shuts off after an hour of inactivity.
Authorities believe that the boys spent approximately 1½ hours in the car without air conditioning while outside temperatures ranged from 99 to 101 degrees Fahrenheit. According to a doctor who treated him, Amillio's body temperature reached 107.2°F.
Mom was told she could bring boys inside but they'd have to stay in waiting room
According to witness statements given to police, Hernandez allegedly asked the nurse performing the procedure if she could bring her children to the appointment, and was told the boys could stay in the waiting room.
Before paying, Hernandez told the nurse she had to run to her car. That's when she realized something was wrong. One of her sons looked like he was having a seizure and was "foaming at the mouth and shaking," Hernandez told police.
Hernandez returned to the spa with her child in her arms, while a customer was holding the other child. One of the children, the nurse said, "looked like he was going to have a stroke." The officers also interviewed witnesses who recalled walking by Hernandez's car, which was turned off.
'His brother will forever be without his best friend'
Katie Martinez, Amillio's grandmother on his father's side, told KFSN-TV that her son is incarcerated, and just wanted to bring her grandson's body home for a burial.
'His mom left him and his 2-year-old brother alone in her car,' Martinez wrote in a fundraiser description. 'His brother will forever be without his best friend.'
"They were strapped in their car seats,' Martinez told the outlet. 'They couldn't even get up to save themselves. She literally locked them in their car seats and shut their doors."
'Amillio was so special,' said his grandmother. 'He always had a smile no matter what. He is loved by so many, our lives will not be the same.'
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Former CEO of Christian nonprofit pleads guilty to possessing child pornography
The former CEO of My Faith Votes, a nonprofit that encourages "Christians in America to vote in every election," has pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse images, months after his arrest. Jason Christopher Yates, 56, pleaded guilty to two of eight felony counts of possession of child pornography on Tuesday, July 22, in a district court in McLeod County, Minnesota, according to a plea petition obtained by USA TODAY. Yates was initially charged and arrested in October 2024, according to Minnesota state court records. My Faith Votes told Religion News Service that Yates served as its CEO until August 2024. 'In early August 2024, the My Faith Votes board of directors separated Jason Yates from My Faith Votes and board member Chris Sadler assumed the position of Acting CEO," the statement reads. "Over the last three months Chris has been working with the dedicated My Faith Votes team to encourage millions of Christians to vote, pray and think biblically about this election in America.' Yates became the CEO of My Faith Votes in 2015 during the nonprofit's inception, according to his Truth & Liberty Coalition bio. USA TODAY contacted My Faith Votes on Saturday, July 26, but has not received a response. The Tamburino Law Group, whose attorneys served as Yates' legal counsel in the case, told USA TODAY in an email, "We are not commenting on this matter." What did Jason Yates do? According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by USA TODAY, an individual gave the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension a hard drive that contained child sexual abuse images on July 31, 2024. The person told agents that they received the hard drive from a relative of Yates who "accidentally discovered it" inside a dresser in the former CEO's office in McLeod County, Minnesota, according to the affidavit. Yates' relative stumbled upon the child sex abuse images when they tried putting the hard drive in their computer for more storage, the affidavit reads. The hard drive contained more than 100 sexually explicit images of children, according to the document. When agents met with Yates on Sept. 13, 2024, he confirmed that the child sex abuse images on the hard drive did not belong to the relative who found them, the affidavit states. He also told the agents that he had a prior conviction for possessing child sex abuse images, but it had been expunged, the document continued. What is My Faith Votes? My Faith Votes describes itself as a "non-partisan movement" that motivates Christians in the U.S. to vote in elections, according to the Fort Worth, Texas-based nonprofit's website. "We desire to see an America where God is honored in the public square and biblical truth is advanced in our culture," My Faith Votes' website states. The nonprofit was founded in 2015 by Sealy Yates, an attorney who previously served on President Donald Trump's evangelical advisory board, according to Politico. He is also Jason Yates' uncle, according to Christian news site The Roys Report. Both are also literary agents representing Christian authors. While My Faith Votes claims to be "non-partisan," the nonprofit has backed several Republican officials and conservative views, including anti-abortion. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was My Faith Votes' honorary national chairman before becoming the U.S. Ambassador to Israel under Trump's administration, according to the nonprofit. Dr. Ben Carson was the founding honorary national chairman for the nonprofit before he became the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during Trump's first presidency. Jason Yates is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29, according to Minnesota court records.


American Press
10 hours ago
- American Press
Jim Beam column:What did those lawmen do?
The arrest of four Louisiana lawmen, the wife of one of them and a private citizen has left some citizens wondering exactly what they did to be indicted by the federal government. The six were allegedly breaking laws that helped immigrants get what are called U visas. The visas help them stay in the country while their asylum cases play out. The indicted lawmen are former Forest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon, Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle, Oakdale City Marshal Michael Slaney and former Glenmora Police Chief Tebo Onishea. All four pleaded not guilty last week. Alison Doyle, the Oakdale police chief's wife, was accused of rigging a bidding process in the mayor's office where she worked. Chandrakant 'Lala' Patel is a businessman accused of orchestrating the alleged visa fraud scheme. The Advocate in its report on the arrest story said Patel was a mystery to many locals. He was mainly known for running a Subway shop and two convenience stores. Allen Parish Sheriff Douglas Hebert said Patel has no local criminal record. Patel pleaded not guilty Wednesday to all charges filed against him. The Advocate's newly obtained Glenmora police reports provide the first look at what federal prosecutors allege was the bribes-for-visas scheme. The 62-count indictment includes allegations of faked police reports, fraudulent visas for foreign nationals and tens of thousands of dollars in alleged bribes. The newspaper said it portrays Rapides and Allen parishes as an epicenter of immigration fraud on a large scale. Prosecutors said each of the four lawmen got stacks of cash from Patel. Then, hundreds of people received visas based on phony police reports that portrayed them as crime victims or witnesses who were helping authorities. The Advocate said federal authorities haven't released much information about who exactly received the forged visas. Prosecutors allege that Patel and the men used the money to buy two pickup trucks, two campsites on Bundick Lake, an RV, a 2025 Land Rover, a Toyota sport van and other vehicles. Doyle's wife is accused of rigging the bidding process so Patel could acquire two city-owned properties. He paid $56,200 for two properties. Law enforcement officials said the scheme involved 'several central Louisiana parishes,' suggesting a wider reach, and that it could date back to as early as 2015. It's unclear if other public officials are involved. State Attorney General Liz Murrill said she expects her office will lodge additional state charges against the accused. The response of local citizens to the arrests was interesting. Ann Odom, 73, a lifelong Oakdale resident, said, 'Money is the root of all evil.' Oakdale has had other corruption scandals and a gift shop owner said, 'It's everywhere you go. But it's bad here. Really, really bad.' A former fellow Oakdale police officer and childhood friend of Doyle's, who wouldn't give his name, said, 'I honestly thought we wouldn't have stuff like that once (he) became chief.' Forest Hill Mayor Elizabeth Jeter said she was 'deeply saddened' over the indictment of Dixon. 'Forest Hill is a strong, close-know community and we understand how difficult this news is for our residents.' Local law enforcement in Rapides Parish said they've never had any real problems with any noncitizens, either way. District Attorney Phillip Terrell, 'Off the top of my head, I'm not aware of any felony cases that we have out of Forest Hill or Glenmora. There's not much activity there, other than, apparently, the fraudulent activity.' The Advocate in an editorial about the lawmen being arrested reminded its readers that an indictment is only an innocent until proven guilty. It said the lawmen, like those swept up in all the immigration raids that have taken place this year, deserve humane treatment and due process. '… The elderly man on his way to work in Lafayette, the nursing mother in Baton Rouge who showed up for a scheduled immigration appointment or the woman gardening in her New Orleans yard are not the problem with the nation's immigration system,' the editorial said. Targeting those folks is cruel, but that isn't the worst part. How about those arrested immigrants who are being sent to countries they have never been to before? They aren't getting the humane treatment and due process that the six who were arrested for fraud will be getting. Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or

USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
83-year-old man died on Turkish Airlines flight to US
Officials in California have identified a passenger who died on a Turkish Airlines flight to the United States earlier this month. On July 13, Turkish Airlines Flight 79 left Istanbul for San Francisco International Airport, when a passenger began to feel "unwell" and his heart stopped during the trip, according to Turkish Airlines. The passenger was identified as 83-year-old Satyanarayana Pasupuleti, from India, Christy Canclini, executive assistant with the San Mateo County Coroner's Office, told USA TODAY on July 25. Two doctors on board performed life-saving measures on the man, but he was pronounced dead, the airline told USA TODAY in a statement. The airline said the flight was later diverted to Chicago O'Hare International Airport to refuel. The airline said it received the consent of Pasupuleti's relatives and authorities to continue the flight to San Francisco, where it landed with the body onboard around five and a half hours later than scheduled. Upon landing, law enforcement officials took statements from all passengers, crew and Pasupuleti's relatives, the airline said. Passengers were allowed to leave soon after and the aircraft was later cleared to resume operations as usual. Where is the body now? Pasupuleti's body was sent to the San Mateo County Coroner's Office, according to Canclini. Canclini said July 25 the office was unable to offer additional information about the passenger's death. Airport officials did not clarify the purpose of Pasupuleti's trip from Istanbul to San Francisco. Confirmation that the body is in possession of the San Mateo County Coroner's Office's clarified prior media reports saying the remains were "unaccounted for." The case falls under the jurisdiction of the San Mateo County Coroner's Office, as the San Francisco International Airport is located primarily in unincorporated San Mateo County.