PORTERVILLE, Calif. (KERO) — A grieving Porterville family held a vigil for one-year-old Amillio Gutierrez, who died after being left in a hot car. They hope his story raises awareness and saves lives.
- Loved ones gathered at Zalud Park in Porterville to honor the life of 1-year-old Amillio Gutierrez, who died after being left in a hot car.
- Nearly a week after his mother’s arrest in connection with his death, Amillio’s family held a vigil and candlelight ceremony in his memory.
- Katie Martinez, Amillio’s grandmother, organized the event and is using the tragedy to raise awareness about the dangers of leaving children in vehicles.
Loved ones gathered at Zalud Park this week to honor the life of 1-year-old Amillio Gutierrez, who died after being left unattended in a hot car. Nearly a week has passed since his mother was arrested in connection with his death, and now, the grieving family is coming together to remember, and raise awareness.
“I never thought anything like this could happen, and I’m 45 years old,” said Katie Martinez, Amillio’s grandmother. “With the way the world is now, we need awareness of a lot of things, because what happened to him shouldn’t happen to any other kid.”
Martinez organized a vigil and candlelight ceremony at the park in her grandson’s memory. Authorities say Amillieo died after being left in a vehicle for more than two hours.
“I’ve been tortured by the thought of them being in there alone,” Martinez said, referring to Amillio and his 2-year-old brother. “When they were found, the paramedics started working on them right away. It was just a horrible experience.”
Martinez said it was Amillio’s father, her son, who informed her of the death. He is currently incarcerated.
“He had a chaplain pull him out of his cell to tell him they had been notified his son, Amillio, had passed away in a car, because he was left there alone with his 2-year-old brother,” she said.
For Martinez, the vigil is more than a memorial. She hopes it sparks change. She chose a purple ribbon theme, a symbol for child safety, to raise awareness in Porterville and throughout the county.
“He had his whole life ahead of him,” said Isaac Tamez, a relative. “It’s for everyone to open their eyes and realize, don’t leave your kids in the car, because this can happen to them.”
Amillio’s aunt, Makayla Kirkland, said she’s holding on to one final, special memory with her nephew.
“I got to walk around with him, just us,” Kirkland said. “I was feeding him candy out of the little window bowl section. It’s great knowing I had at least that last moment, before dropping him off at home, never knowing this would happen.”
As his family mourns, they hope Amillio’s story serves as a lasting reminder of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles, and a call to prevent future tragedies.
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