Mom Keeps Shoes of 2 Kids Who Were Accidentally Left in Hot Car by Dad and Died

Marissa Rodriguez, the anguished mom whose husband accidentally left their twins in a hot car four months ago, is talking to Dr. Phil about the trying time and standing by her husband. 

There was a touching moment as Rodriguez spoke, with the family attorney at her side. “I have one shoe each of theirs. When I got them dressed in the morning, I put their shoes on; I knew they were on them. And that's the last time I saw them with them on,” she said. 

Dr. Phil spoke to Inside Edition about the emotional interview, saying, “It’s just heartbreaking. But it's her remembrance of them and it's her way of honoring the children.”

Marissa's husband, Juan Rodriguez, a social worker and Iraq war veteran, says he went to work in New York that day last July, forgetting that their 1-year-old twins Luna and Phoenix were in the back seat. He was supposed to drop them off at day care. Eight hours later he returned to his car to find their lifeless bodies.

Marissa was at her husband's side, along with their family, when he appeared in court in New York City. He has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges.

“Marissa is standing by him,” Dr. Phil told Inside Edition. “She admits it's been a roller coaster since then. There are times she said, ‘I’ve wanted to grab him and shake him and say, how could you?’ But then in her rational moments, she understands this is not something he ever wanted to do.” 

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