Mom Who Left Toddler to Die in Hot Car While Getting Lip Fillers Learns Her Fate

​A 20-year-old California mother has been sentenced for leaving her 1-year-old baby in a hot car while she visited a medical spa to allegedly get a butt lift. It was earlier reported that she was getting a lip filler, but a spa aesthetics injector told the court that was not the case.

​Maya Hernandez pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter in the death of her son, Amillio Gutierrez, and two enhancements to allegations of child cruelty. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison and two strikes on her record.

​According to Law&Crime, Hernandez left both of her sons in the car on a hot summer day in California on June 29, 2025. She testified in court that she intentionally left them with snacks and the air conditioner on while she went inside to undergo procedures. By the time she returned, little Amillio was unresponsive and later died.

According to a witness, Hernandez was undergoing a non-surgical Brazilian butt lift. Although the procedure typically takes only about 20 minutes, the spa was busy on the day of the incident. During the two hours she was inside the center, Hernandez reportedly never checked on her children or informed the staff that they were waiting in the car.

​The mother of two testified in court that she checked on the boys through a mobile app and believed they would stay cool with the air conditioner running. However, the car shut itself off after an hour, and the temperature rose to 101 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Law&Crime.

​By the time she returned to her car, Amillio was foaming at the mouth and having a seizure. He was pronounced dead at a hospital with an internal temperature of 107 degrees. The two-year-old child survived and was placed into protective custody, according to CourtTV.

On March 5, Judge Charles Brehmer sentenced Hernandez to 15 years in prison. “Amillio’s never going to be forgotten. Maya will be going to prison. Maya already has a life sentence because of the loss of Amillio,” he told the court.

​“15 years doesn’t seem like enough,” Katie Martinez, Amilio’s paternal grandmother, said. “In my eyes and in the eyes of a father who had to visit his son in a cold grave, it is not enough,” according to CourtTV.

Social media users who had been closely following the case also voiced their opinions on the sentencing. Many expressed outrage online, arguing that the punishment did not reflect the severity of the tragedy.

“Seems like that isn’t near enough for ending her own child’s life for sheer vanity. Completely and totally preventable and senseless,” one user wrote.

“She should have got life,” another commenter added.