Mom accused of drunk driving crash that killed two ‘sweet, loving’ kids in California

A mother whose two children died in a crash now faces drunk driving charges in their deaths, California officials reported.

Yesica Barajas, 31, of Napa, is accused of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol and a drug causing injury, and child abuse, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office said in a Tuesday, March 18, news release.

Her two children, Damien Montanez, 10, and Aaliyah Montanez, 9, died when her vehicle slammed into a tree exiting Highway 29 at 7:20 a.m. Sunday, March 16, KGO reported.

Barajas has been hospitalized for her injuries and will be taken to jail when she’s released, prosecutors said.

“Damian & Aaliyah were sweet, loving, full of life kids who will be missed greatly,” according to a GoFundMe created by the family to cover funeral expenses. “They touched everyone they met.”

The children enjoyed camping at Lake Tahoe with their grandparents, the GoFundMe said.

“I want to cry for those kids, I don’t care about anything else, why we drink and drive, I don’t know,” Mojtab Jarimabadi, who manages a business near the crash, told KGO.

Napa is about a 50-mile drive northeast from San Francisco.

This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Mom accused of drunk driving crash that killed two ‘sweet, loving’ kids in California."