A family of four, including two young children, was killed in a head-on collision on State Route 260 near Heber-Overgaard, Arizona. The crash occurred Monday around 12:30 p.m. when a pickup truck driven by 21-year-old Jesse David Lovato allegedly crossed into the path of the oncoming vehicle.
Authorities stated that Lovato told police he fell asleep behind the wheel. He was reportedly driving from Phoenix to New Mexico when the incident occurred. His truck, carrying two friends, rolled over after the collision. According to reports, authorities found marijuana and cannabis vape pens in or near Lovato's truck, and he admitted to smoking marijuana the night before. An officer at the scene observed signs of impairment.
Kiah Begaye, 26, and her husband Giovanni Huerta, 26, were on their way home to Arizona from Labor Day weekend celebrations in New Mexico with their sons, four-year-old Dakota and two-year-old Malakai, when the crash happened.
Begaye and Huerta had been high school sweethearts and were married in April. Huerta worked as a mechanic, and Begaye was preparing to launch a Native American clothing business. Family members described them as devoted parents.
"It doesn’t seem fair at all because they were so young. They had a whole life ahead of them. They had plans, goals and adventures they wanted to go on," said Chrissy Kaibetoney, Begaye’s mother.
Huerta’s father, Joel, expressed his grief, stating, "It’s like a dream, and I’m still waiting to wake up. They were my world. My son, my only son. Two generations just gone like that."
Lovato was arrested and booked into jail on charges of four counts of manslaughter and two counts of aggravated assault. A GoFundMe page has been established to assist with funeral and burial expenses, raising over $85,000.
