Six funerals, infinite sorrow
A large, close-knit family struggles to deal with a terrible loss
By Erika Chavez and Christina Jewett - Bee Staff Writers
Last Updated 12:06 am PDT Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1
Sisters Maria Guadalupe Raya, left, of Olivehurst and Maria del Refugio Raya of Salinas give way to their grief after making donation boxes with photographs of their six family members killed on their way home from a baptism. "We are hurting very much, and we're destroyed," said a cousin of one of the victims.
Sacramento Bee/Renée C. Byer
See additional images
A large, close-knit family struggled Monday to make sense of their loss and to arrange six funerals after a drunken driver hit a carload of relatives on their way home from a baptism, authorities said, killing them all.
The Raya clan of Olivehurst is numerous and united, and they drew upon that unity to comfort one another after Saturday's fatal crash.
"We are hurting very much, and we're very destroyed," said Jose Almanza, a cousin of 29-year-old Maribel Negrete.
Negrete was killed in the accident along with her husband, Tomas Negrete, 29; sons Eric, 3, and Cesar, 7 months; and her parents, Jose Miguel Raya, 65, and Maria Veronica Raya, 63. The SUV they were riding in was hit from behind, causing the vehicle to spin and crash into a eucalyptus tree off Highway 70 south of Marysville.
Bradley Bledsoe, 28, of Linda was arrested on suspicion of murder, drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
Almanza said his family was too distraught to hold any ill will toward Bledsoe.
"We're just glad the police got him, and we trust in the law to take care of him," Almanza said.
Bledsoe was driving Saturday night on a suspended license; he's been convicted twice since 1999 for driving under the influence, officials said.
Bledsoe could have been in jail Saturday night for a DUI conviction in Glenn County in January that carried a yearlong sentence. He was released in April, according to the California Highway Patrol.
"It's frustrating," said CHP Officer Monty Emery.
Attempts to reach Bledsoe's family Monday were not successful.
Relatives of the Negretes and Rayas gathered in Marysville on Monday at the home of one of Maribel Negrete's cousins. They sorted through pictures of the deceased. Maria del Refugio and Maria Guadalupe Raya, younger sisters of family patriarch Jose Miguel Raya, wiped away tears as they covered shoeboxes in white tissue paper, cutting a slim slot in the lid of each one and attaching the photographs. They will use the boxes for donations to help pay for the burials.
The family will send Jose Miguel and Maria Veronica Raya's bodies back to their hometown of Puerto del Monte, Guanajuato, Mexico, where several of the couple's children still live.
The Negretes and their two sons will be buried near Marysville.
"Why did they all have to die? Why did he have to take them all?" cried Maria Guadalupe Raya, as niece Gabriela Gallardo comforted her.
"At least they are all together, and none of them are suffering," said Gallardo, as Raya sobbed in her arms. "All we can do is accept it and hold onto our good memories."
Tomas Negrete met the former Maribel Raya in an English class at Yuba College; they married in 1999.
Tomas Negrete was quiet and thoughtful, while Maribel Negrete was the smiling, joking life of every party, family members said. The couple worked hard, buying a home and establishing their life together before starting a family.
Born in Puebla, Mexico, Tomas Negrete laid carpet for a living and was a devoted husband and father.
Maribel sold clothes at the weekend swap meet and had just acquired a license to run a day care center in her Olivehurst home.
Their two sons, 3-year-old Eric and 7-month-old Cesar, were their proud focus, relatives said.
Maribel's parents split the year between Olivehurst and their hometown in Mexico. While in Olivehurst, the couple lived with their daughter, and Jose Miguel worked in the almond orchards.
On Saturday night, the three generations of family left early from a party celebrating a niece's baptism; they planned to rise early the next morning to sell clothes at the swap meet.
They were just a few miles from home, driving south in the right lane of Highway 70 near Feather River Boulevard about 10:30 p.m. Bledsoe was directly behind them and sped up to pass, said CHP Officer Jeff Larson. He clipped the left rear corner of the Negretes' sport-utility vehicle, sending it out of control and crashing into a eucalyptus tree.
Another car went off the right side of the road, but the 17-year-old driver was not injured, Larson said.
Five people in the Negretes' SUV died at the scene; Tomas Negrete was flown to Sutter Roseville, where he later died.
Bledsoe and the owner of the SUV he was driving ran from the scene of the crash, authorities said. Larson said officers tracked Bledsoe down Sunday morning at his home, where he was initially uncooperative. He later admitted to being in the crash, officers said. They did not name the owner of the SUV.
At the empty Negrete home on Black Angus Way, the porch light was still on. Friends and strangers left small offerings: flowers, plastic race cars, Legos and a small angel statue.
April Villa left two small dolls in honor of the boys.
She's a longtime friend of Bradley Bledsoe's mother, she said, and has known him since he was a child.
"This is really sad; there were little babies in there," she said. "Three generations died in one accident."
Bledsoe was first arrested for DUI in Yuba County on July 18, 1999. He was sentenced to jail and DUI classes, and his license was revoked for six months, records show. Bledsoe was arrested a second time for DUI in 2003 in Sutter County, but pleaded to a lesser charge.
The CHP arrested Bledsoe in August of 2005 for DUI; he was convicted Jan. 20, 2006, and sentenced to one year in the Glenn County Jail.
Glenn County Sheriff's Deputy Ronelle Knouse said it is routine for prisoners to serve less than their full sentence, based on time already served while awaiting trial, for working in jail or good behavior. Knouse said Bledsoe was released April 29.
Bledsoe will be charged Wednesday in Yuba Superior Court with six counts of homicide, felony DUI, hit and run, and driving without a license, the CHP's Emery said. He is being held without bail.
Emery said DUI laws provide that a fourth DUI arrest within seven years counts as a felony.
The owner of the Corner Bar in Yuba City said Bledsoe and the SUV's owner visited his bar an hour and a half before the crash.
Owner Ernie Lizarragh said he noticed the men Saturday night, but did not know them as regulars. They each drank one beer, played pool together and left about 10 p.m., he said.
"They didn't look like they were intoxicated," he said.
About the writer:
The Bee's Erika Chavez can be reached at (916) 321-1016 or [email protected].
A large, close-knit family struggles to deal with a terrible loss
By Erika Chavez and Christina Jewett - Bee Staff Writers
Last Updated 12:06 am PDT Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1
Sisters Maria Guadalupe Raya, left, of Olivehurst and Maria del Refugio Raya of Salinas give way to their grief after making donation boxes with photographs of their six family members killed on their way home from a baptism. "We are hurting very much, and we're destroyed," said a cousin of one of the victims.
Sacramento Bee/Renée C. Byer
See additional images
A large, close-knit family struggled Monday to make sense of their loss and to arrange six funerals after a drunken driver hit a carload of relatives on their way home from a baptism, authorities said, killing them all.
The Raya clan of Olivehurst is numerous and united, and they drew upon that unity to comfort one another after Saturday's fatal crash.
"We are hurting very much, and we're very destroyed," said Jose Almanza, a cousin of 29-year-old Maribel Negrete.
Negrete was killed in the accident along with her husband, Tomas Negrete, 29; sons Eric, 3, and Cesar, 7 months; and her parents, Jose Miguel Raya, 65, and Maria Veronica Raya, 63. The SUV they were riding in was hit from behind, causing the vehicle to spin and crash into a eucalyptus tree off Highway 70 south of Marysville.
Bradley Bledsoe, 28, of Linda was arrested on suspicion of murder, drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
Almanza said his family was too distraught to hold any ill will toward Bledsoe.
"We're just glad the police got him, and we trust in the law to take care of him," Almanza said.
Bledsoe was driving Saturday night on a suspended license; he's been convicted twice since 1999 for driving under the influence, officials said.
Bledsoe could have been in jail Saturday night for a DUI conviction in Glenn County in January that carried a yearlong sentence. He was released in April, according to the California Highway Patrol.
"It's frustrating," said CHP Officer Monty Emery.
Attempts to reach Bledsoe's family Monday were not successful.
Relatives of the Negretes and Rayas gathered in Marysville on Monday at the home of one of Maribel Negrete's cousins. They sorted through pictures of the deceased. Maria del Refugio and Maria Guadalupe Raya, younger sisters of family patriarch Jose Miguel Raya, wiped away tears as they covered shoeboxes in white tissue paper, cutting a slim slot in the lid of each one and attaching the photographs. They will use the boxes for donations to help pay for the burials.
The family will send Jose Miguel and Maria Veronica Raya's bodies back to their hometown of Puerto del Monte, Guanajuato, Mexico, where several of the couple's children still live.
The Negretes and their two sons will be buried near Marysville.
"Why did they all have to die? Why did he have to take them all?" cried Maria Guadalupe Raya, as niece Gabriela Gallardo comforted her.
"At least they are all together, and none of them are suffering," said Gallardo, as Raya sobbed in her arms. "All we can do is accept it and hold onto our good memories."
Tomas Negrete met the former Maribel Raya in an English class at Yuba College; they married in 1999.
Tomas Negrete was quiet and thoughtful, while Maribel Negrete was the smiling, joking life of every party, family members said. The couple worked hard, buying a home and establishing their life together before starting a family.
Born in Puebla, Mexico, Tomas Negrete laid carpet for a living and was a devoted husband and father.
Maribel sold clothes at the weekend swap meet and had just acquired a license to run a day care center in her Olivehurst home.
Their two sons, 3-year-old Eric and 7-month-old Cesar, were their proud focus, relatives said.
Maribel's parents split the year between Olivehurst and their hometown in Mexico. While in Olivehurst, the couple lived with their daughter, and Jose Miguel worked in the almond orchards.
On Saturday night, the three generations of family left early from a party celebrating a niece's baptism; they planned to rise early the next morning to sell clothes at the swap meet.
They were just a few miles from home, driving south in the right lane of Highway 70 near Feather River Boulevard about 10:30 p.m. Bledsoe was directly behind them and sped up to pass, said CHP Officer Jeff Larson. He clipped the left rear corner of the Negretes' sport-utility vehicle, sending it out of control and crashing into a eucalyptus tree.
Another car went off the right side of the road, but the 17-year-old driver was not injured, Larson said.
Five people in the Negretes' SUV died at the scene; Tomas Negrete was flown to Sutter Roseville, where he later died.
Bledsoe and the owner of the SUV he was driving ran from the scene of the crash, authorities said. Larson said officers tracked Bledsoe down Sunday morning at his home, where he was initially uncooperative. He later admitted to being in the crash, officers said. They did not name the owner of the SUV.
At the empty Negrete home on Black Angus Way, the porch light was still on. Friends and strangers left small offerings: flowers, plastic race cars, Legos and a small angel statue.
April Villa left two small dolls in honor of the boys.
She's a longtime friend of Bradley Bledsoe's mother, she said, and has known him since he was a child.
"This is really sad; there were little babies in there," she said. "Three generations died in one accident."
Bledsoe was first arrested for DUI in Yuba County on July 18, 1999. He was sentenced to jail and DUI classes, and his license was revoked for six months, records show. Bledsoe was arrested a second time for DUI in 2003 in Sutter County, but pleaded to a lesser charge.
The CHP arrested Bledsoe in August of 2005 for DUI; he was convicted Jan. 20, 2006, and sentenced to one year in the Glenn County Jail.
Glenn County Sheriff's Deputy Ronelle Knouse said it is routine for prisoners to serve less than their full sentence, based on time already served while awaiting trial, for working in jail or good behavior. Knouse said Bledsoe was released April 29.
Bledsoe will be charged Wednesday in Yuba Superior Court with six counts of homicide, felony DUI, hit and run, and driving without a license, the CHP's Emery said. He is being held without bail.
Emery said DUI laws provide that a fourth DUI arrest within seven years counts as a felony.
The owner of the Corner Bar in Yuba City said Bledsoe and the SUV's owner visited his bar an hour and a half before the crash.
Owner Ernie Lizarragh said he noticed the men Saturday night, but did not know them as regulars. They each drank one beer, played pool together and left about 10 p.m., he said.
"They didn't look like they were intoxicated," he said.
About the writer:
The Bee's Erika Chavez can be reached at (916) 321-1016 or [email protected].
Six funerals, infinite sorrow
A large, close-knit family struggles to deal with a terrible loss
By Erika Chavez and Christina Jewett - Bee Staff Writers
Last Updated 12:06 am PDT Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1
Sisters Maria Guadalupe Raya, left, of Olivehurst and Maria del Refugio Raya of Salinas give way to their grief after making donation boxes with photographs of their six family members killed on their way home from a baptism. "We are hurting very much, and we're destroyed," said a cousin of one of the victims.
Sacramento Bee/Renée C. Byer
See additional images
A large, close-knit family struggled Monday to make sense of their loss and to arrange six funerals after a drunken driver hit a carload of relatives on their way home from a baptism, authorities said, killing them all.
The Raya clan of Olivehurst is numerous and united, and they drew upon that unity to comfort one another after Saturday's fatal crash.
"We are hurting very much, and we're very destroyed," said Jose Almanza, a cousin of 29-year-old Maribel Negrete.
Negrete was killed in the accident along with her husband, Tomas Negrete, 29; sons Eric, 3, and Cesar, 7 months; and her parents, Jose Miguel Raya, 65, and Maria Veronica Raya, 63. The SUV they were riding in was hit from behind, causing the vehicle to spin and crash into a eucalyptus tree off Highway 70 south of Marysville.
Bradley Bledsoe, 28, of Linda was arrested on suspicion of murder, drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
Almanza said his family was too distraught to hold any ill will toward Bledsoe.
"We're just glad the police got him, and we trust in the law to take care of him," Almanza said.
Bledsoe was driving Saturday night on a suspended license; he's been convicted twice since 1999 for driving under the influence, officials said.
Bledsoe could have been in jail Saturday night for a DUI conviction in Glenn County in January that carried a yearlong sentence. He was released in April, according to the California Highway Patrol.
"It's frustrating," said CHP Officer Monty Emery.
Attempts to reach Bledsoe's family Monday were not successful.
Relatives of the Negretes and Rayas gathered in Marysville on Monday at the home of one of Maribel Negrete's cousins. They sorted through pictures of the deceased. Maria del Refugio and Maria Guadalupe Raya, younger sisters of family patriarch Jose Miguel Raya, wiped away tears as they covered shoeboxes in white tissue paper, cutting a slim slot in the lid of each one and attaching the photographs. They will use the boxes for donations to help pay for the burials.
The family will send Jose Miguel and Maria Veronica Raya's bodies back to their hometown of Puerto del Monte, Guanajuato, Mexico, where several of the couple's children still live.
The Negretes and their two sons will be buried near Marysville.
"Why did they all have to die? Why did he have to take them all?" cried Maria Guadalupe Raya, as niece Gabriela Gallardo comforted her.
"At least they are all together, and none of them are suffering," said Gallardo, as Raya sobbed in her arms. "All we can do is accept it and hold onto our good memories."
Tomas Negrete met the former Maribel Raya in an English class at Yuba College; they married in 1999.
Tomas Negrete was quiet and thoughtful, while Maribel Negrete was the smiling, joking life of every party, family members said. The couple worked hard, buying a home and establishing their life together before starting a family.
Born in Puebla, Mexico, Tomas Negrete laid carpet for a living and was a devoted husband and father.
Maribel sold clothes at the weekend swap meet and had just acquired a license to run a day care center in her Olivehurst home.
Their two sons, 3-year-old Eric and 7-month-old Cesar, were their proud focus, relatives said.
Maribel's parents split the year between Olivehurst and their hometown in Mexico. While in Olivehurst, the couple lived with their daughter, and Jose Miguel worked in the almond orchards.
On Saturday night, the three generations of family left early from a party celebrating a niece's baptism; they planned to rise early the next morning to sell clothes at the swap meet.
They were just a few miles from home, driving south in the right lane of Highway 70 near Feather River Boulevard about 10:30 p.m. Bledsoe was directly behind them and sped up to pass, said CHP Officer Jeff Larson. He clipped the left rear corner of the Negretes' sport-utility vehicle, sending it out of control and crashing into a eucalyptus tree.
Another car went off the right side of the road, but the 17-year-old driver was not injured, Larson said.
Five people in the Negretes' SUV died at the scene; Tomas Negrete was flown to Sutter Roseville, where he later died.
Bledsoe and the owner of the SUV he was driving ran from the scene of the crash, authorities said. Larson said officers tracked Bledsoe down Sunday morning at his home, where he was initially uncooperative. He later admitted to being in the crash, officers said. They did not name the owner of the SUV.
At the empty Negrete home on Black Angus Way, the porch light was still on. Friends and strangers left small offerings: flowers, plastic race cars, Legos and a small angel statue.
April Villa left two small dolls in honor of the boys.
She's a longtime friend of Bradley Bledsoe's mother, she said, and has known him since he was a child.
"This is really sad; there were little babies in there," she said. "Three generations died in one accident."
Bledsoe was first arrested for DUI in Yuba County on July 18, 1999. He was sentenced to jail and DUI classes, and his license was revoked for six months, records show. Bledsoe was arrested a second time for DUI in 2003 in Sutter County, but pleaded to a lesser charge.
The CHP arrested Bledsoe in August of 2005 for DUI; he was convicted Jan. 20, 2006, and sentenced to one year in the Glenn County Jail.
Glenn County Sheriff's Deputy Ronelle Knouse said it is routine for prisoners to serve less than their full sentence, based on time already served while awaiting trial, for working in jail or good behavior. Knouse said Bledsoe was released April 29.
Bledsoe will be charged Wednesday in Yuba Superior Court with six counts of homicide, felony DUI, hit and run, and driving without a license, the CHP's Emery said. He is being held without bail.
Emery said DUI laws provide that a fourth DUI arrest within seven years counts as a felony.
The owner of the Corner Bar in Yuba City said Bledsoe and the SUV's owner visited his bar an hour and a half before the crash.
Owner Ernie Lizarragh said he noticed the men Saturday night, but did not know them as regulars. They each drank one beer, played pool together and left about 10 p.m., he said.
"They didn't look like they were intoxicated," he said.
About the writer:
The Bee's Erika Chavez can be reached at (916) 321-1016 or [email protected].
A large, close-knit family struggles to deal with a terrible loss
By Erika Chavez and Christina Jewett - Bee Staff Writers
Last Updated 12:06 am PDT Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1
Sisters Maria Guadalupe Raya, left, of Olivehurst and Maria del Refugio Raya of Salinas give way to their grief after making donation boxes with photographs of their six family members killed on their way home from a baptism. "We are hurting very much, and we're destroyed," said a cousin of one of the victims.
Sacramento Bee/Renée C. Byer
See additional images
A large, close-knit family struggled Monday to make sense of their loss and to arrange six funerals after a drunken driver hit a carload of relatives on their way home from a baptism, authorities said, killing them all.
The Raya clan of Olivehurst is numerous and united, and they drew upon that unity to comfort one another after Saturday's fatal crash.
"We are hurting very much, and we're very destroyed," said Jose Almanza, a cousin of 29-year-old Maribel Negrete.
Negrete was killed in the accident along with her husband, Tomas Negrete, 29; sons Eric, 3, and Cesar, 7 months; and her parents, Jose Miguel Raya, 65, and Maria Veronica Raya, 63. The SUV they were riding in was hit from behind, causing the vehicle to spin and crash into a eucalyptus tree off Highway 70 south of Marysville.
Bradley Bledsoe, 28, of Linda was arrested on suspicion of murder, drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
Almanza said his family was too distraught to hold any ill will toward Bledsoe.
"We're just glad the police got him, and we trust in the law to take care of him," Almanza said.
Bledsoe was driving Saturday night on a suspended license; he's been convicted twice since 1999 for driving under the influence, officials said.
Bledsoe could have been in jail Saturday night for a DUI conviction in Glenn County in January that carried a yearlong sentence. He was released in April, according to the California Highway Patrol.
"It's frustrating," said CHP Officer Monty Emery.
Attempts to reach Bledsoe's family Monday were not successful.
Relatives of the Negretes and Rayas gathered in Marysville on Monday at the home of one of Maribel Negrete's cousins. They sorted through pictures of the deceased. Maria del Refugio and Maria Guadalupe Raya, younger sisters of family patriarch Jose Miguel Raya, wiped away tears as they covered shoeboxes in white tissue paper, cutting a slim slot in the lid of each one and attaching the photographs. They will use the boxes for donations to help pay for the burials.
The family will send Jose Miguel and Maria Veronica Raya's bodies back to their hometown of Puerto del Monte, Guanajuato, Mexico, where several of the couple's children still live.
The Negretes and their two sons will be buried near Marysville.
"Why did they all have to die? Why did he have to take them all?" cried Maria Guadalupe Raya, as niece Gabriela Gallardo comforted her.
"At least they are all together, and none of them are suffering," said Gallardo, as Raya sobbed in her arms. "All we can do is accept it and hold onto our good memories."
Tomas Negrete met the former Maribel Raya in an English class at Yuba College; they married in 1999.
Tomas Negrete was quiet and thoughtful, while Maribel Negrete was the smiling, joking life of every party, family members said. The couple worked hard, buying a home and establishing their life together before starting a family.
Born in Puebla, Mexico, Tomas Negrete laid carpet for a living and was a devoted husband and father.
Maribel sold clothes at the weekend swap meet and had just acquired a license to run a day care center in her Olivehurst home.
Their two sons, 3-year-old Eric and 7-month-old Cesar, were their proud focus, relatives said.
Maribel's parents split the year between Olivehurst and their hometown in Mexico. While in Olivehurst, the couple lived with their daughter, and Jose Miguel worked in the almond orchards.
On Saturday night, the three generations of family left early from a party celebrating a niece's baptism; they planned to rise early the next morning to sell clothes at the swap meet.
They were just a few miles from home, driving south in the right lane of Highway 70 near Feather River Boulevard about 10:30 p.m. Bledsoe was directly behind them and sped up to pass, said CHP Officer Jeff Larson. He clipped the left rear corner of the Negretes' sport-utility vehicle, sending it out of control and crashing into a eucalyptus tree.
Another car went off the right side of the road, but the 17-year-old driver was not injured, Larson said.
Five people in the Negretes' SUV died at the scene; Tomas Negrete was flown to Sutter Roseville, where he later died.
Bledsoe and the owner of the SUV he was driving ran from the scene of the crash, authorities said. Larson said officers tracked Bledsoe down Sunday morning at his home, where he was initially uncooperative. He later admitted to being in the crash, officers said. They did not name the owner of the SUV.
At the empty Negrete home on Black Angus Way, the porch light was still on. Friends and strangers left small offerings: flowers, plastic race cars, Legos and a small angel statue.
April Villa left two small dolls in honor of the boys.
She's a longtime friend of Bradley Bledsoe's mother, she said, and has known him since he was a child.
"This is really sad; there were little babies in there," she said. "Three generations died in one accident."
Bledsoe was first arrested for DUI in Yuba County on July 18, 1999. He was sentenced to jail and DUI classes, and his license was revoked for six months, records show. Bledsoe was arrested a second time for DUI in 2003 in Sutter County, but pleaded to a lesser charge.
The CHP arrested Bledsoe in August of 2005 for DUI; he was convicted Jan. 20, 2006, and sentenced to one year in the Glenn County Jail.
Glenn County Sheriff's Deputy Ronelle Knouse said it is routine for prisoners to serve less than their full sentence, based on time already served while awaiting trial, for working in jail or good behavior. Knouse said Bledsoe was released April 29.
Bledsoe will be charged Wednesday in Yuba Superior Court with six counts of homicide, felony DUI, hit and run, and driving without a license, the CHP's Emery said. He is being held without bail.
Emery said DUI laws provide that a fourth DUI arrest within seven years counts as a felony.
The owner of the Corner Bar in Yuba City said Bledsoe and the SUV's owner visited his bar an hour and a half before the crash.
Owner Ernie Lizarragh said he noticed the men Saturday night, but did not know them as regulars. They each drank one beer, played pool together and left about 10 p.m., he said.
"They didn't look like they were intoxicated," he said.
About the writer:
The Bee's Erika Chavez can be reached at (916) 321-1016 or [email protected].
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