'Where's My Baby?' Dad's Agonising Question After One-Year-Old Daughter Is Killed in Cemetery Horror

A father recovering from serious injuries in hospital was desperate to know where his little girl was after a suspected drunk driver struck him and his 13-month-old daughter at a California cemetery, killing the toddler.

Joshua Mazur and his daughter, Janessa Milagro Mazur Diaz, had been visiting a relative's grave in Sacramento when the devastating incident occurred on 1 November. The family had gathered at St Mary Cemetery to remember a loved one during Día de los Muertos, a traditional occasion for honouring deceased relatives.

Janessa's mother, Jackline Patino Diaz, was left to deliver the news no parent should ever have to share after her husband asked about their daughter. The couple had celebrated the little girl's first birthday only days before the tragedy.

Toddler Dies After Car Strikes Father and Daughter at Cemetery

Sacramento police responded to St Mary Cemetery shortly before 5pm on Sunday, 1 November, after a vehicle struck Joshua and Janessa. Both sustained injuries and were taken for medical treatment, but the toddler could not be saved.

The family had been visiting the cemetery to pay their respects at Joshua's grandmother's gravesite. What was intended to be a moment of remembrance instead ended with the death of a child who had only recently celebrated her first birthday.

Joshua survived the collision but sustained several serious injuries, including broken ribs and fractures to his nose and skull, according to KCRA. He was being treated in intensive care following the crash.

Mother Recalls the Moment She Had To Break the News

Speaking to KCRA 3, Jackline described the moment she entered her husband's hospital room and realised he did not yet know that their daughter had died. She said Joshua immediately asked where Janessa was.

'The first thing he asked me when I walked in the room was, 'Where's my baby?' and I had to tell him she was gone,' she said. '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. She's not here with us.'

Jackline said the family had been spending time together when the vehicle approached, saying, 'We were just celebrating, never in a bad mood.' She then described the driver striking her husband and daughter while they were at the cemetery.

Driver Arrested on Suspicion of Driving Under the Influence

Police identified the driver as 50-year-old Miguel Guzman of Sacramento. According to the Sacramento Police Department, officers detained him after the collision as he attempted to leave the scene.

Following an investigation by collision detectives and crime scene investigators, Guzman was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Sacramento police said he was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on charges related to felony DUI causing great bodily injury and felony hit-and-run.

Guzman subsequently appeared in court on 3 November. KCRA reported that Guzman was facing charges including gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence causing injury, hit-and-run and child abuse with possible great bodily injury. His plea and bail hearing were rescheduled for Friday, 6 November.

Following Janessa's death, her family launched an online fundraiser to help cover expenses resulting from the collision. The appeal seeks contributions towards the toddler's funeral arrangements and her father's medical expenses, according to the fundraising page.