‘They were a family unit’: Friends, relatives mourn 6 killed as they drove home from vacation (2024)

A candlelight vigil will be held Wednesday night for three sisters and their mother, who were tragically killed along with two close family friends on July 12 as they were driving home to Southern California from Texas.

The vigil for Karly Perez, 42, of Banning and her three daughters, Olivia, 12, Emalynn, 11, and Giana, 8, is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Centennial Park in Menifee, according to local news reports. The park is where the girls played softball. The young athletes were celebrated in a Facebook post from Menifee Girls Softball.

Friends Heather Ventura, left, and Karly Perez clown around (inset) as Lucas Tejada, left, Giana Perez (behind Lucas), Emalynn Perez, Olivia Perez, and Ventura’s stepdaughter, Alyssa, meet at a restaurant.

(Nick Ventura)

“Shy in nature, all three girls came to life on the softball field as they were surrounded by family, friends, and teammates on both sides of the fence,” the social media post read. “They will be deeply missed by everyone.”

The fatal crash also claimed the life of Perez’s friend Heather Ventura, 37, of Upland and her 13-year-old son, Lucas Tejada, according to the Pima County, Ariz., medical examiner.

Nick Ventura told The Times that his sister and Perez had been best friends for more than 10 years and supported each other as if they were sisters, coordinating whenever they needed to take the children to school or sporting events.

“They were a family unit,” Ventura said. “It was such a beautiful thing.”

Ventura said his nephew aspired to be a chef and was a fan of British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, so much so that he traveled with his mother to try the beef Wellington at Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen in San Diego County. A photo of Lucas shows him in front of a kitchen stove, wearing a Hell’s Kitchen chef jacket and smiling.

Lucas Tejada was a fan of chef Gordon Ramsay.

(Nick Ventura)

“But he was also a normal kid who liked playing video games,” Ventura said.

He said he bought a gaming system during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic so he and Lucas could play together.

Ventura said the two families had driven to Texas to visit Heather’s stepdaughter, Alyssa, who was also very close to all the children. They were returning from the trip when they were involved in the fatal crash.

The tragic accident occurred on the afternoon of July 12 on the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 at milepost 33 near Quartzsite, Ariz., according to a statement from Bart Graves, spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Graves said a Ford F-550 stake bed truck was traveling westbound in the No. 1 lane when it failed to slow for traffic that had come to a stop for a highway paving project.

“As a result, the Ford truck collided with the rear of a Chevrolet Traverse carrying six people,” Graves said. “The Traverse was pushed into a jeep passenger vehicle, then into two other vehicles.”

He said the first three vehicles involved in the crash caught fire. Occupants of the Chevrolet Traverse, which included Perez and her three daughters, were declared dead at the scene.

Graves said the driver of the Ford truck was not injured.

“He was not cited at the time, although we are consulting with the La Paz County Attorney’s Office regarding possible charges,” he said.

Kasandra Tunchez, the girls’ aunt, told KTLA that her nieces were smart and respectful.

“Those were the stars in our world,” she said. “Now they’re gone and all we have is memories.”

Tunchez said the family had come together to support her brother, Vincente Perez, as he grieves the loss of his wife and children.