The California mom who left her three-year-old daughter to die in a hot car was drunk and passed out in the drivers seat, it was revealed on Tuesday as the childs grieving father came to the moms defense.
Sandra Hernandez was arrested for involuntary manslaughter and child neglect after falling asleep while locked inside a Ford Expedition amid sweltering heat on Friday afternoon. Her young daughter, Ily Ruiz, was in the backseat.
Ilys heartbroken father Juan Ruiz broke his silence to defend the mom amid what has become the latest tragedy for the family.
Sandy’s a good mom. She would never do this on purpose. She would never hurt her baby, Ruiz told The Daily Mail. We already lost two babies.
In 2012, the couples two young sons ages 5 and 9 - were killed while on camping trip in North Dakota when a drunk driver plowed into their tent.
The family pictured together at Ilys birthday party - dad Juan Ruiz, mom Sandra Hernandez, son Lazarus, 5 and daughter Ily, 3
Ruiz said Ily was his only daughter and she was daddys little girl. She was my only girl, he said. I never expected to have a girl
Years after the loss of their sons, Ruiz and Sandra would have two more children, a son named Lazarus, now 5 and a daughter named Ily Elizabeth.
She was my only girl. I never expected to have a girl, he said. I named her ILY -which stands for "I love you" and my moms middle name was Elizabeth.
He shared his delight of being a girls daddy: She loved everything. Princesses. Frozen She loved helping me cook.
The father grew emotional while recalling how his daughter just started calling him Dah.. Dah.
The mother has been booked into the Anaheim Police Department Detention Facility and was expected to be arraigned later this week.
A family member at the scene of the crime, had managed to pull the unconscious child out of the SUV. Ily was rushed to the hospital by paramedics, but later succumbed to her injuries.
Several bottles of alcohol were found in the vehicle.
He said, I named her ILY -which stands for I love you and my moms middle name was Elizabeth
Ilya and her older brother Lazarus, 5, dressed up in costume during Halloween
Ruiz admitted that Sandra may have turned to alcohol after suffering through bouts of depression.
I told her family that she needed help but nobody listened to me, he said.
Regarding his daughters tragic death, the father said: In my heart it was not done intentionally, but it doesn’t change the fact that she did it.
Ruiz was living in Texas for his job on an oil rig. He separated with Sandra about a year ago, and she went back to California with their children.
Despite the break up, the pair cared for one another and tried to raise their children together. He would send money home and visit them in California monthly.
I’m not going to speak badly about Sandra because she’s not a bad person, he said. She needs help.
The dad, however, was outraged that those close to the troubled mother simply stood by as she struggled.
‘I am angry. It doesn’t change the fact that she did what she did. Right? I’m angry at her family for not listening to me, he said.
I am angry but I am trying to be clear-minded here and tell you guys that she would never do this on purpose.’
Ruiz pictured with his two young sons - ages 5 and 9 - who were killed by a drunk driver in 2012
Ruizs children Lazarus and Ilya
Ruiz made a gut-wrenching TikTok video the day he learned the tragic news.
He shared with DailyMail.com his conflicted state of mind during an interview on Tuesday, only days after the tragedy.
I hate her so much right now. I hate her and I feel bad for her. I hate her, and I feel sorry for her. And, I hate the fact that it happened, the way that my baby died.’
The mother now faces potential prison time but Ruiz said he hopes they put her in protective custody.
I am concerned for her well being in there, he said, because I know how the prison works here in California.