Father of 3-year-old Anaheim girl who died in hot car speaks out

ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- 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."

It's unknown how long the mother and daughter had been in the car, but the temperature outside reached more than 104 degrees, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

A family member found Ily in the car after the girl's mother didn't pick up her 5-year-old son from school. The family member broke a car window to get to Ily.

"Despite efforts by family members and paramedics to resuscitate the toddler, she was pronounced dead," the DA's office said in a statement. "Doctors estimate that little girl had been dead for several hours before she was discovered inside the locked car in extreme temperatures with her mother."

Hernandez-Cazares faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

"The unimaginable pain of having your 5-year-old and 9-year-old sons killed by a drunk driver is something from which you can never recover," Orange County DA Todd Spitzer said in a statement. "Anyone who has suffered such a devastating tragedy knows the ripple effects of grief may be able to be hidden, but the heartbreak of losing your children will never go away.

"A mother who was robbed of the chance to see two of her sons grow up because of the selfish decision of a stranger will have to live with the fact she will never get to see her little girl grow up because of the choices she made."

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help cover Ily's funeral expenses.