Family of Mission Viejo woman killed by drunk driver on New Year's demands justice
An Orange County family whose matriarch was killed when she was hit and killed by a drunk driver while on her way home from church on New Year's Day is demanding justice, saying that just getting arrested is far from enough.
The crash happened at around 1:40 a.m. at the intersection of Marguerite Parkway and Pueblonuevo Drive, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
It was there that deputies arrived to find that two sedans had collided head-on, leaving 66-year-old Ynes Laguna-Soto with severe injuries. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she later died, leaving her family feeling torn apart.
"My grandma was like an angel for the other people," said Xiamena Granados, the victim's granddaughter. "She could have hurt other people too."
The other driver, since identified as 26-year-old Geraldine Caicedo-Perez, was also injured in the crash, but she survived her injuries. She was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and later booked for gross vehicular manslaughter, deputies said.
Family members hope that she's held accountable, worried that she would be released and hurt another family like she did theirs.
Emmanuel Heredia, Soto's grandson, says there's no excuse to get behind the wheel while under the influence, and that it was a very selfish thing for the woman to do.
As they try to process their grief, they're remembering Ynes as the light of their family who was always going out of her way to help others.
"She was always sharing the gospel, going around the whole community and sharing the gospel to the people who just were in bad places," Granados said. "She helped a lot of people and touched a lot of hearts."
KCAL News searched jail records to see if Caicedo-Perez was still behind bars, but there was no information available on her bail or court date. Deputies have confirmed that she was booked.
