Rodriguez’s wife Marissa, the mother of the one-year-old twins, Phoenix and Luna, said she’s “completely devastated” but is defending her husband,
releasing a statement
through her attorney saying, “Though I am hurting more than I ever imagined possible, I still love my husband. He is a good person and great father and I know he would’ve never done anything to hurt our children intentionally. I will never get over this loss and I know he will never forgive himself for this mistake.”
When police arrived at the scene, the grieving father told them, “I blanked out, my babies are dead, I killed my babies.” Since 1998,
about 440 children nationwide
have died (24 just this year) of heatstroke after being forgotten in cars, the
New York Times
reported. The twin’s body temperatures were taken at the scene and read 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Bystanders say Rodriguez got out of his car screaming when he realized what he had done.
Ms. Rodriguez called the deaths of the children a “horrific accident.” She also said she will be by her husband’s side every step of the way “to go through this together.”
Rodriguez’ friend and coworker, Temple Barros,
told CNN
they’d just celebrated the twins’ birthdays. “We had a huge birthday for them,” Barros said. “We had bounce houses, bubble machines. They went all out. He’s always been an amazing father. Whatever they need, he’ll go out and get it.”
Another friend, Alfredo Angueira, tells
The New York Times
, that the devoted dad couldn’t understand how the tragic mistake occurred. “He couldn’t explain it. In his mind he dropped them off,” he said.
“It fits the same patterns that we have seen in a lot of these
forgotten-child cases
,” Mr. Null, who founded
noheatstroke.org,
told
The New York Times
. “It was a good parent, who for some reason, went on to work, and didn’t remember he hadn’t dropped off his children.”
“Luna and Phoenix will always live in our hearts and memories and we are working hard to come to terms with what has happened,” Ms. Rodriguez continued in her statement. “We need to grieve, be strong and be present for our other children.”
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Father Of Twins Forgotten In Hot Car Coping With Loss And Guilt
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