3-year-old girl dies after being found in hot car with unconscious mom during 104-degree day, police say



A California woman was found locked inside a hot car with her 3-year-old daughter, who later died, according to Anaheim police.

Police said they were called to a medical emergency at about 4:20 p.m. on Friday after a family member found 41-year-old Sandra Hernandez inside of Ford Expedition with her daughter. They were unsure how long they had been in the car, but temperatures that day reached up to 104 degrees outside.

'He's broken. He's just devastated.'

The girl was rushed to a hospital by paramedics, but she later died of complications from heat stroke, according to Anaheim police. An autopsy has not yet been completed.

Police said they found several alcohol bottles in the vehicle.

Hernandez was also transported to a hospital.

Anaheim police Sgt. Matt Sutter said Hernandez was booked on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and child neglect after she was released from the hospital.

A GoFundMe donation page is raising funds for the victim's father and her brother. A family member said the father, Juan Ruiz, had previously suffered a similar tragedy when his two sons were killed in 2012 by a drunk driver who drove through their tent during a camping trip.

"To know that he's reliving this all over again, we're just hurting for him," his cousin Nancy Salamanca said. "He's broken. He's just devastated."

Southern California has suffered from a historic heatwave in recent weeks.

A news video from KABC-TV showed video of the victim before the horrible incident.

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Infant dies after being left in car 'for hours'; Daily Mail gushes about her 2 adoptive dads



A baby girl in California died after she was left inside a car "for hours." Despite the tragic circumstances of the girl's untimely death, the Daily Mail, which published the exclusive report about it, showered praise on the gay couple who adopted her.

Romer and Jayson De Los Santos are two men from the San Diego area who became legal partners in 2008, just a few months before Proposition 8 passed overwhelmingly and banned same-sex marriage in California until the 2013 Obergefell SCOTUS ruling.

'Romer is an avid gardener and grows fruit, vegetables, bonsai trees, and flowers in the backyard and Jayson looks after the animals and collects eggs from the chickens.'

Within the last couple of years, the men first adopted a boy. Last November, they filled out a profile on an adoption site, expressing their desire for a baby. "Our hearts and home are open to providing more love to another amazing child," Romer and Jayson wrote in the profile.

Their wish was granted just a short five months later when little Diana Sofia was born in Arizona on April 11. The De Los Santoses flew out to Arizona and adopted Diana shortly thereafter.

Sadly, barely two months later, little Diana was dead. Just before 12:30 a.m. on June 13, she was found unresponsive inside the De Los Santoses' SUV parked outside their home. Paramedics arrived within minutes and raced Diana to Sharp Grossmont Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Though outdoor temperatures at the time were just 63 degrees Fahrenheit, the interior of a car can reach temperatures as high as 115 degrees even when it is just 70 degrees outside, the Daily Mail reported. Plus, the body temperature of children rises at significantly higher rates than that of adults.

It is unclear who left Diana in the car and for how long, though investigators believe she had been in the car "for hours." No charges have been filed in the case, which remains under investigation. A cause of death has not yet officially been determined.

"Never leave your child alone in a car even for a second to dash into a store or to run a quick errand," police said, according to the outlet. "Summer routines can shift unexpectedly. Even the best parents can forget a quiet or sleeping child is in the backseat of a car."

Though stopping short of calling the De Los Santoses "the best parents," one neighbor did indicate to the Daily Mail that they did seem to care about their children. "They seem like a nice family who wanted to give a couple of kids a good life, it's just a shame it didn't turn out that way," the neighbor said.

The Daily Mail certainly seems to view the De Los Santoses as good parents. The outlet fawned over the "adorable photos" the men had posted on social media, showing them "cradling" Diana and introducing her to her brother.

"Romer is an avid gardener and grows fruit, vegetables, bonsai trees, and flowers in the backyard and Jayson looks after the animals and collects eggs from the chickens," the outlet shared in the article about their deceased daughter.

"Romer explained [he and Jayson] both came from big families that often had dinners and parties and went on holiday together," the article added.

The Daily Mail also claimed that the De Los Santoses have so many animals living in their three-bedroom home that it is "basically a zoo." They even provide temporary homes for foster animals.

Jayson, who has purple hair in several photos, is described in the Daily Mail article as a "stay-at-home dad."

Despite the glowing account from the Daily Mail, the Publica reported that the speed at which the De Los Santoses had been able to adopt Diana "has raised concerns." The Publica noted that newborns are in high demand for prospective adoptive parents, who often have to wait a year or more before adopting a baby.

The Publica also reported that Romer is a former LGBT activist in the area. More than 15 years ago, he began volunteering with San Diego LGBT Pride and eventually rose in the ranks to become co-chair, a position he held for three years. During that time, he bragged that he "doubled the size of the Board of Directors within a year and improved its diversity in age, race, gender, and gender identity," the Publica reported.

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NYC school librarian arrested for allegedly leaving baby daughter in hot car for over 5 hours, coworker rescued trapped infant by smashing window



A New York City school librarian was arrested for leaving his baby in a hot car for more than five hours, according to police. Thankfully, a school employee rescued the trapped infant before possible death.

At 2:48 p.m. on Thursday, Michael Dodes was arrested at Walter J. Damrosch School – his place of employment. Dodes is accused of leaving his 1-year-old daughter alone in his 2014 Subaru Forester outside the school in the Bronx for more than five hours. Dodes was charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

The married father-of-two allegedly parked his car in front of the school in Morrisania. He then reportedly left his infant daughter in the vehicle as he went to work at the Walter J. Damrosch School.

Dodes, 41, was recently hired as a librarian. However, school officials said Dodes wasn't slated to begin working until next month.

Another school employee noticed the baby unattended inside the hot car. The school employee frantically smashed the rear passenger window, according to police. Dodes' coworker rescued the trapped infant.

The baby was allegedly conscious and alert when she was saved. She was rushed to the Bronx Lebanon Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

City schools spokesperson Jenna Lyle said, "We commend the heroism of the school staff member who took action to remove this child from danger. Upon learning of this incident, the school immediately contacted NYPD and EMS who responded to the scene. This employee is being reassigned away from students."

Dodes has been employed by the education department since 2007, according to New York City's Department of Education.

The New York State Education Department previously said of Dodes, "Michael Dodes had been a Library Media Specialist serving high needs students in the Bronx and Harlem for more than 9 years prior to becoming a Library Coordinator for the New York City Department of Education in 2016."

According to a LinkedIn page attributed to him, Dodes previously worked as the library coordinator for the Queens Office of School Library Service in 2017. Before that position, Dodes reportedly worked as a library coordinator for North Brooklyn.

A 2021 profile for Dodes on the New York City School Tech Summit website said, "Michael has expertise in coding, instructional technology, copyright laws & licensing, and accessibility, all of which he runs extensive professional development on."

The listing added that Dodes has "expertise in copyright law, privacy, digital and physical accessibility, coding, website/graphic design, and gaming."

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Grandfather charged after forgetting toddler in hot vehicle for 7 hours. Returns to truck 3 times without noticing the 2-year-old



An Alabama grandfather was arrested on Wednesday for reckless manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide after leaving his 2-year-old grandson in a hot vehicle, reported authorities.

William "Bill" Wiesman, 56, told officers that he thought he dropped off his grandson, Ian Wiesman, at day care on Tuesday morning. He stated that he did not realize the toddler was still in his car seat as he drove to work.

Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey stated that throughout Wiesman's workday, he returned to his truck three times without noticing the child strapped into the forward-facing car seat behind the driver's seat.

After seven hours, around 3 p.m., Wiesman drove to the day care intending to pick up the child, when he realized his grandson was in the truck's back seat.

Casey said, "He went back to the day care thinking he had left the child there, but had been in the vehicle three times that day from the time he picked the child up until the time he returned to the day care."

Authorities reported that the 2-year-old boy succumbed to heatstroke after enduring temperatures around 90 degrees.

The charges brought against Wiesman were announced during a news conference on Wednesday.

During the conference, Casey held back tears when describing the incident. "It's awful. My heart breaks for this family," she said.

Law enforcement reported that they believe the death was unintentional, but the investigation is still ongoing. "These are not intentional acts. These are negligent acts and or reckless acts," Casey stated.

Oneonta Police Chief Charles Clifton told reporters, "I believe everyone I saw on the scene has children, so it's extremely difficult to be involved in something like that."

It is currently unclear whether the grandfather has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

According to Kids and Car Safety, at least 30 children have died in the United States this year after being left in hot vehicles.

"Changes in the way we transport children in vehicles appear to have caused deadly unintended consequences. In the mid-1990's, children were being killed by overpowered airbags, when traveling in the front passenger seat. Safety advocates, government, and the auto industry all worked together to ensure children would ride in the back seat to prevent these unthinkable tragedies," Kids and Car Safety wrote in a data analysis regarding hot car deaths.

"Unfortunately, no modifications were put in place to compensate for this change. This has resulted in at least 1,018 hot car deaths (compared to approx. 186 child front seat passenger airbag deaths)," the organization stated, referring to data collected from 1990 to 2021.

The organization urged that all vehicles come equipped with a child detection and reminder system that would alert drivers if an occupant is left in the vehicle.

Kids and Car Safety reported that most deaths, approximately 56%, from 1990 to 2021 were caused by parents and guardians forgetting the child in the vehicle's back seat. Of the children left in vehicles unknowingly, 42% of the drivers believed they had already dropped the child off at day care.