(L.A.) Kayla Kaimimoku-Diaz, 12, Died in a Hospital

Case Number: 2022-13305

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 12-year-old female of “Hispanic” ethnicity that occurred in a hospital.

The coroner’s office has identified the girl as Kayla Kaimimoku-Diaz.

Resident of Downey, California. From Honolulu, Hawaii.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death: Thermal Injuries

RIP KAYLA KAIMIMOKU-DIAZ (February 20, 2010 – December 21, 2022)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Wednesday at 6:28 a.m.

The child succumbed in the hospital the morning after a fire at the apartment she and her family were living in. Her mother Vannessa did not make it either.

GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/vanessa-and-kaylas-memorial-fund

On the evening of December 20, Maggie Gardilcic’s apartment caught fire in Downey, California. The explosive fire was so powerful and spread so quickly that Maggie’s daughter, Vanessa, was barely able to get her 3 children outside to safety. Vanessa’s 4th child, 12-year old Kayla, remained trapped in the upstairs bathroom. Without any hesitation, Vanessa bravely raced back into the burning building to save her child. Sadly, both mother and daughter perished in the inferno. Vanessa’s body was found holding her daughter in her arms. Maggie was able to get out of the building, but suffered cardiac arrest and severe burns to 25% of her body. She is currently in a coma in the intensive care unit. Her journey to recovery will be long and difficult.

Vanessa was a kind, loving, and doting mother to her 4 children: Eric, 20; Rylee, 17; Kayla, 12; and Inessa, 8. Her surviving 3 children are suffering the most unimaginable loss of their mother and sister and are currently homeless with no clothing or possessions.