A California mom was allegedly driving intoxicated and speeding when she crashed and killed her two young children, according to cops.
Yesica Barajas, 31, lost control of her 2006 Nissan sedan while exiting Highway 29 in Napa and crashed into a tree at high speed just before 7:30 a.m. Sunday, ABC 7 reported.
Her son Damien Montanez, 10, and daughter Aaliyah Montanez, 9, were both pronounced dead at the scene.
The mom suffered major injuries and was taken to Napa’s Queen of the Valley Hospital where she was charged on suspicion of driving under the influence, the California Highway Patrol said Monday.
Police believe alcohol, speed and drugs played a factor in the fatal crash.
“There’s a lot going into this,” CHP Sargent Andrew Barclay told ABC 7. “It will be an ongoing investigation.”
The mother will remain in CHP custody until she is medically cleared to be transferred to the Napa County Jail. Her bail has been set at $500,000, records show.
“A tragic situation is made even more tragic, the fact that two young kids lost their lives due to the decision of someone else to drive impaired, that’s a hard thing to get past,” Barclay said.
Gabriel Cardenas, who was laying flowers down for the two children near the crash site on Monday, told ABC 7 the children’s deaths are a “total tragedy for the community.”
“I just felt horrible for the kids, because at that time of the morning, kids should be being normal kids, watching cartoons with their bowl of cereal,” Cardenas said.
Family friend Angela Villasenor told KRON4 that the children’s family is “devastated” over their deaths.
“Everybody is still in shock,” she said. “No one is prepared for something like this to happen.”
The siblings are remembered as being “full of life,” Villasenor, who organized a GoFundMe page to help the family with funeral expenses, wrote.
“Damian & Aaliyah were sweet, loving, full of life kids who will be missed greatly. They touched everyone they met. They were always helpful and loved camping in Lake Tahoe, where they often went with their grandparents, Lilia and Enrique,” Villasenor, who organized the page for the family, wrote.
“Everybody is still in shock. No one is prepared for something like this to happen. The family right now is devastated. They will be missed.”
The brother and sister attended school in the Napa Valley Unified School District.
“Our hearts go out to the family as we grieve with our community and offer support during this difficult time,” a district spokesperson said.
“We continue to have counseling and social worker support available for students and staff.”
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