1-Year-Old Killed by Suspected Drunk Driver While Visiting Grandma’s Grave on Día de los MuertosMadison E. GoldbergFri, November 6, 2026 at 5:52 AM UTC
Janessa MilagroCredit: GoFundMe
Janessa Milagro Mazur Diaz and her father, Joshua Mazur, were struck by a driver suspected of driving under the influence on Nov. 1 in Sacramento, Calif.
Sacramento Police arrested 50-year-old Miguel Guzman in connection with the collision, and he faces felony DUI and hit-and-run charges while being held without bail.
The family was visiting Mazur’s grandmother’s grave at a Sacramento cemetery when the collision occurred.
A 1-year-old girl was killed and her father was injured during a Day of the Dead celebration in Sacramento, Calif. on Sunday, Nov. 1, when they were both struck by a driver suspected of driving under the influence.
The incident occurred around 4:45 p.m. local time on Sunday, Sacramento Police said in a press release. The father and daughter were struck on the 6700 block of 21st Avenue, and were promptly transported to local hospitals for treatment, where the girl was later pronounced dead.
The Sacramento Police Department’s Major Collision Investigation Unit (MCIU) Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) took over the investigation, and arrested Miguel Guzman in connection with the collision. Guzman, 50, was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on charges related to felony DUI causing great bodily injury and felony hit-and-run, police said.
Janessa Milagro, 1, who was killed by an alleged drunk driver while visiting a cemetery with her parents in Sacramento, Calif.Credit: GoFundMe
Guzman is being held without bail and will next appear in court on Friday, Nov. 6, according to jail records reviewed by PEOPLE.
The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office identified the 1-year-old victim as Janessa Milagro Mazur Diaz. Her father, Joshua Mazur, was hospitalized in the intensive care unit at UC Davis Medical Center, Mazur’s girlfriend and Janessa’s mother, Jackie Patino-Diaz, told The Sacramento Bee.
Her family told The Bee that the tragedy occurred at St. Mary Cemetery and Funeral Center, where Janessa and her parents were visiting the grave of Mazur’s grandmother, who died in August, in honor of Día de los Muertos, or, the Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday.
“I just remember getting up, turning around and seeing the car coming this way,” Patino-Diaz told the outlet. “I thought it was going to stop and turn.”
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She added that the car “just hopped onto the grass, and it ran” her daughter and boyfriend over.
Janessa Milagro.Credit: GoFundMe
Janessa’s middle name, “milagro,” which means “miracle” in Spanish, was given to her after she experienced two miscarriages and later hyperemesis while she was pregnant, Patino-Diaz told The Bee.
“I named her that because she was my miracle baby,” Patino-Diaz told The Sacramento Bee. “I had, I’d say, a horrible pregnancy when I had her with me. But now that she’s gone, I’d say I had the most beautiful pregnancy ever.”
“She was my best friend,” Patino-Diaz continued. “I was with her every day. She would wake me up and in the morning, she would love her scrambled eggs and her juice and her little crackers every morning. So I’m going to miss that little routine, waking up and changing her diaper and making sure she ate and watching her favorite movie, ‘Coco.’ ”
The family launched a GoFundMe to support Mazur’s medical costs and Janessa’s memorial costs.
“What was supposed to be a peaceful visit turned into a nightmare that has forever changed our family,” the GoFundMe description reads. “We are heartbroken beyond words. No parent should ever have to experience the pain of losing their child.”
“Our sweet Janessa was taken from us far too soon, and we would give anything to have her back in our arms,” the description added.
As of publication, the fundraiser has raised $35,000 of its $40,000 goal.
The Sacramento Police Department is asking witnesses of the collision to contact the dispatch center at (916) 808-5471 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at (916) 443-HELP (4357).
PEOPLE has reached out to Sacramento Police.
Source: Crime
