A father is speaking out after the death of his 3-year-old daughter , who was found locked inside a hot car in Anaheim with her mother.
Three-year-old Ily Ruiz died last Friday after she and her mother were found unconscious inside a Ford Expedition that was parked in front of their apartment in the 1300 block of North Fashion Lane around 4:20 p.m.
Sandra Hernandez-Cazares, 42, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and child abuse. Prosecutors say they found empty bottles of alcohol in the vehicle and allege Hernandez-Cazares had a blood alcohol level of nearly four times the legal limit.
In 2012, Hernandez-Cazares and her husband lobbied for stronger DUI penalties after their two sons – ages 5 and 9 – were killed by a drunk driver during a camping trip in South Dakota.
“Their mom is not a bad mother. She needs help,” Ily’s father Juan Ruiz said. “She has never been able to recover from the other loss of our other children.
“And then, giving birth to these children, postpartum depression is real, you know.”