Hot Car Tot's Father Standing by Mother

Bail waived for Miami-Dade mom charged with leaving boy in SUV

The father of the three-year-old South Florida boy who died after he was left by his mother in a hot car last week said he's going to keep supporting her.

Maytee Martinez was in a Miami-Dade courtroom Tuesday, where she was officially charged with aggravated manslaughter in the death of little Jossue Caderno.

Though she had been behind bars on $10,000 bond, the judge decided to waive the amount and put Martinez under house arrest.

Family members, including a man who told reporters he was Caderno's father, wore white shirts with the boy's picture on them to Tuesday's hearing and were seen crying as they left the courtroom.

Caderno's father said he'd stand by Martinez throughout this ordeal.

"This was an accident and she's like any person who's a human being and makes mistakes," the man said in Spanish. "That's why I'm not judging her. She's always been a good mother."

Martinez, 38, was arrested Saturday after Caderno was found clinging to life inside the family's Ford Explorer about 1:30 p.m. Friday outside their home in the University Lakes neighborhood near Southwest 131st Place and Southwest 10th Street in Southwest Miami-Dade. The boy died a short time later in a nearby hospital.

Caderno was in the car, which could have reached temperatures near 130 degrees, for about 45 minutes.

Martinez will be allowed out of house arrest to attend her son's funeral.

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