A mother has recalled the tragic moment her husband called her to tell her their babies had died after he left them in a hot car for eight hours.
Juan Rodriguez was charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and child endangerment after the devastating death of his one-year-old twins.
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Back in July, twins Luna and Phoenix died from heatstroke after being locked in their father's car in the Bronx, New York, which had internal temperatures of 42 degrees.
Rodriguez, a 39-year-old Iraq army veteran, claimed he had mistakenly believed to have dropped his children off at daycare before starting his shift at a hospital.
Marissa Rodriguez, the twin's mother, is sticking by her husband despite every the tragedy.
Speaking to American chat show host Dr Phil, the mother recalled the unforgettable moment her husband called to tell her her babies were dead.
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"My husband called me, I was working," she painfully recalled to the chat show host in a teaser clip.
"The first call was about 4 or so. He told me 'Alright it's your turn to pick up the kids'. "He was going to a military event and he generally brought the kids to daycare but we switched on who picked them up.
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"I said no problem, I'll pick them up. I was still working for another hour at least. I got on the phone with a client."
But Marissa first realised something was up when he husband called her back, and left her a voicemail.
"He called me cellphone back again and I just ignored it because I was working.
"I realised he had left me a voicemail, which he doesn't normally do. He called again. I got off the phone and I heard him say that they were gone."
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Rodriquez, 39, had parked his silver Honda Accord outside his work, with the twins strapped into their car seats, before his eight-hour shift.
Police say it appeared the father had drove off after finishing his shift before realising the children were still in the car and frantically summoning help.
"I blanked out. My babies are dead. I killed my babies," Rodriquez is thought to have said to police.
"He pulled over and was screaming," Marissa recalled in another teaser from the interview.
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"I don't want to be here, I don't want this to be my story. I was so angry, I just couldn't understand how it happened".
Rodriguez has pleaded not guilty to his charges and is currently out on a $100,000 bail bond.
The father, who has three other children, is waiting to see if prosecutors will maintain criminal charges against him.
His lawyer Joey Jackson says he believes the father's charges should be dismissed.
"Mr Rodriguez is heart-wrenched and heartbroken," he said.
Whatever you think, there's no denying how heartbreaking this is.
Featured Image Credit: Dr Phil