Three women leaving baby shower die in crash with accused drunk driver, CA cops say

A 33-year-old woman who was among three people killed in a collision with an accused drunken driver was in the process of adopting her 11-year-old nephew, a California family said.

“She died loving me,” nephew Brian Gonzalez told KABC. “I wanted her to see me grow up.”

His aunt, Yesenia Olaez, her sister-in-law Alejandra Olaez, 33, and driver Lorena Morales died in the crash at 11 p.m. Saturday, March 2, in Pomona while returning from a baby shower, KTLA reported.

“All the family is heartbroken,” Blanca Gonzalez, Yesenia Olaez’s sister, told the station. “Everybody is not okay right now.”

Multiple other passengers in their vehicle were injured, the Los Angeles Times reported.

One, the 12-year-old daughter of Alejandra Olaez, was in intensive care at a hospital, KABC said.

Officers arrested Victor Siharath, 36, of Pomona, on a charge of felony driving under the influence, police said in a news release. He was driving an SUV that collided with the vehicle with the three women inside, according to police.

“I love her with all my heart and she’ll always be remembered,” Gonzalez told KNBC about her sister. “She was very loved here on earth. She didn’t deserve anything that happened to her.”

Police ask anyone with information to call 909-620-2048 or leave an anonymous tip at 800-222-8477.

Pomona is about 30 miles east of Los Angeles.

This story was originally published March 4, 2024 at 9:48 AM with the headline "Three women leaving baby shower die in crash with accused drunk driver, CA cops say."