Friday 5 August 2016
Texas Newlywed Got to Hold Stillborn Son's Hand After He Was Killed by Alleged Drunk Driver
Texas Newlywed Got to Hold Stillborn Son's Hand After He Was Killed by Alleged Drunk Driver
This has been a hard week for Diane Castillo, whose newlywed 24-year-old niece lost both her husband and unborn child in a drunk driving crash Tuesday.
But Castillo tells PEOPLE that Friday morning was maybe the most difficult day yet for her niece, Kristian Nicole Guerrero – when, after nearly 24 hours of induced labor, she delivered her lifeless son.
"The baby was just perfect," Castillo says. "Kristian got to hold his hand for a while, and his paternal grandmother got to hold him as well. Everybody is really just devastated from everything that has happened."
Police in San Marcos, Texas, allege that 21-year-old Shana Lee Elliot traveled over the center line on Highway 21 causing her Chevrolet Impala to strike the Toyota Corolla carrying Guerrero and her 23-year-old husband, Fabian Guerrero-Moreno, according to a news release.
Fabian died at the scene. His wife was taken to St. David's South Austin Medical Center for treatment where, Castillo says, doctors induced labor at around 9 a.m. Thursday in an attempt to save her child.
"They did an ultrasound soon after the accident and the baby's heartbeat was still there," Castillo tells PEOPLE. "Kristian was so relieved that she would still have part of her husband after finding out he had passed. When they did the second ultrasound, they found that the baby had no heartbeat and had died in the womb."
Kristian named him Fabian James Guerrero.
"It has been really, really hard for us," Castillo says.
Elliot was treated for minor injuries at Central Texas Medical Center.
Officers at the scene described Elliot as having red and glassy eyes and being unsteady on her feet, as well as having a strong smell of alcohol on her breath, according to an affidavit obtained by MySA.
She has been charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault, according to court records.
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Just one day before the crash, the Guerreros posted about the pregnancy, according to MySA. They shared a sonogram on Facebook with the caption, "Is this the face of a little prince or a little princess?! We can't wait to find out Sunday! Are you team boy or team girl?! Taking bets now!"
While Kristian bears the psychological weight of Tuesday's crash, and its losses, Castillo says her niece is physically "going to be okay."
When Kristian first arrived at the hospital, "they found bleeding on her brain, but it was minimal. So they just watched her, and they induced [labor]," Castillo says.
"We are just really kind of going through the motions with how things are unfolding," she says.
Castillo says funeral arrangements for Kristian's husband and child were being held off until the baby's delivery.
"We are not sure when she'll be released, but we're getting the ball rolling with the funeral arrangements," Castillo says. Fabian's family has been by Kristian's side since Tuesday evening.
"His family has been so supportive," Castillo says. "They've been in the hospital the whole time. His whole family has been there, as I'm sure he would have wanted them to be."
Elliot, a Texas State University student, has yet to enter a plea to her charges, and it appears she has not retained an attorney. She is held on $185,000 bail.
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