California – A California woman was arrested last week after police say she left her chiId, AmiIIio, 1, and his 2-year-old sibIing aIone in a parked vehicIe outside a fascility while she went inside for a Iip fiIIer procedure. She has been charged with invoIuntary mansIaughter for the death of the 1-year-old baby and two counts of wiIIful crueIty to a chiId. She pleaded not guilty in the Superior Court and is being held on bail of over $1 million, the district attorney’s office confirmed.
According to police records, the defendant, 20-year-old Maia, left her children in the running vehicIe with the air conditioning set to sixty degrees and provided them water, snacks, and her ceII phone. However, the vehicIe’s built-in safety feature automatically shut off the engine—along with the air conditioning—after about one hour of inactivity. California authorities estimate this occurred around 3 p.m. on a day when the outside temperature reached approximately one hundred and one degrees, and the interior temperatures inside the car likely soared to around one hundred and forty three within minutes.
Surveillance showed the parent entering the fascility at approximately 2 p.m. While the Iip-fiIIer procedure itself likely lasted only fifteen minutes, court documents and ambulance crew accounts indicate she did not return until about 4:30 p.m. Her older child was found lethargic with a temperature near ninety nine degrees and soaking wet hair as responders tried to cool him. The 1-year-old victim was found foaming at the mouth and having a seizure. Paramedics noted he was unconscious, pulseless with blue discoloration around his lips, and had a recorded body temperature of one hundred and seven degrees. Despite intensive medical intervention, he was pronounced dead at the hospital at approximately 5:48 p.m.
California authorities later told reporters the defendant admitted she knew it was irresponsible but believed the car would remain cool with the AC on. She also reportedly texted the staff earlier asking if she could bring her children inside. The employee responded affirmatively, but the defendant chose to leave them in the vehicle.
During the investigation, officers noted the older child was placed in protective custody after receiving treatment and later released to Care, while the victim’s death prompted a coroner’s examination. Interior vehicle temperatures were evaluated by first responders and near-by weather data corroborated the extreme heat exposure. Crisis counsel and child-welfare authorities were contacted, as the defendant had previously been investigated last year for alleged emotional abuse by Child Protective Services, though that case was subsequently closed without further action.
On the steps of the courthouse, prosecutors raised concerns that the mother placed her appearance and convenience ahead of her children’s safety. Cell phone records, medical logs, ambulance and hospital reports, and surveillance video are all part of the active investigation. Police are reviewing whether any civil violations may apply, though the criminal charges are the focus at this stage.
Her defense is expected to challenge allegations of negligence and will likely present evidence regarding her intent and mental state during the incident. Prosecutors are anticipated to emphasize the clear chain of custody, documented temperatures, timing of the engine shut-off, and the defendant’s own admissions that she was aware of the danger yet proceeded regardless.