A 1-year-old girl died Sunday after being struck by a vehicle at a Sacramento cemetery while her family was visiting her grandmother's grave for Día de los Muertos. The driver, Miguel Guzman, 50, has been arrested and charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and other DUI-related offenses.
Sacramento police responded to the incident near St. Mary Cemetery shortly before 5 p.m. The child, Janessa Milagro Mazur Diaz, and her father were found injured at the scene. The toddler later succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. Her mother, Jackline Patino Diaz, told KCRA 3 that the family had recently celebrated Janessa’s first birthday.
"She’s not here with us anymore. It’s so crazy to think that we were just sitting at the cemetery, and he just came and ran over her, and now she’s gone," Diaz told the news station. The child's father remains in the ICU with broken ribs, a fractured nose, and a skull fracture.
Guzman initially remained at the scene but allegedly attempted to leave before police detained him. Investigators are treating the incident as a hit-and-run. He is being held on $470,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court.
The family has launched a GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses for Janessa and medical costs for her father, raising over $19,000 toward their $35,000 goal as of Tuesday morning.