Twin babies who died after their father left them in hot car dressed as little angels at their wake: 'No time will heal this'
The twin babies who died in a hot car in The Bronx last week after their father forgot they were left behind had their wake on Friday. Both infants were dressed all in white and laid out in two caskets next to each other as their father sobbed, "I can't believe it."
Juan Rodriguez, father of one-year-old babies Luna and Phoenix, is accused of recklessly killing them by forgetting about them in his Honda on July 26 before going to work. Dozens of mourners attended the ceremony at the Sinatra Memorial Home in Yonkers to pay their respects to the family, the New York Post reports.
Juan and his wife Marissa arrived just moments before the visitation was to start. Many of the mourners were tightly hugged by Juan before they proceeded to view the twins in their pure white caskets.
Some of the visitors could not stomach the heartbreaking sight of the deceased babies and walked out of the room soon after.
“Oh, my god. I love them so much. I can’t believe it,” the 39-year-old father wailed as he burst into tears in the lobby.
A friend was seen hugging him in support and crying, "My heart is broken!"
Little Luna was draped in a white lace dress with a ribbon headband while Phoenix wore a white suit and a bonnet, as the pair lay in their tiny caskets.
A large pink heart-shaped floral arrangement stood by Luna's casket, while a blue arrangement stood above Phoenix's. Large portraits of the twins with their family were hung above their respective caskets, showing the family during happier times.
Hailing from Rockland County, Iraq war veteran Rodriguez faces potential manslaughter charges after he dropped his four-year-old son to his daycare but forgot about the infants in his car on July 26. The vehicle was parked at a veterans' hospital in Kingsbridge for eight hours.
When Rodriguez returned, he found the twins unconscious and foaming at the mouth in their respective car seats.
During an appearance in Bronx Criminal Court, the father pleaded not guilty to said charges. Meanwhile, his lawyer urged the Bronx district attorney to drop the charges.
Marissa, the twins' devastated mother, wept throughout the service but said very little.
A family friend overcome with grief was heard saying, “No time will heal this.”
Rodriguez is the father of five, with two children from a previous marriage. A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the family.