Calif. Mother Arrested for DUI Following Crash That Killed Her 2 Young Children: ‘A Tragic Situation’

A Calif. mother has been arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence following a car crash in Napa that killed her two children.

Yesica Barajas, 31, was arrested on DUI charges following a fatal car crash that killed her two children — a 10-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl — according to NBC Bay Area.

Napa County arrest records show that Barajas was arrested on charges of a DUI, which caused injury to another person, and two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated — which are violations of the California Penal Code.

The crash occurred on Sunday, March 16, around 7:30 a.m. local time on southbound Highway 29 near the Imola Avenue off-ramp in Napa, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) said, per ABC affiliate KABC-TV. The suspect allegedly drove a black Nissan at a high rate of speed while exiting the highway before losing control of the vehicle and hitting a tree.

The Napa County Sheriff’s Office identified the driver as Barajas and said that the two other passengers in the car, who were minors, did not survive the crash, according to Fox affiliate KTVU. The 31-year-old was transported to a local hospital where she is being treated for injuries sustained during the incident.

CHP Sargent Andrew Barclay told KABC: “[Barajas is] currently undergoing medical treatment once that’s been completed, we expect her to be booked on multiple felony charges. [We’re] looking at manslaughter charges. There’s a lot going into this. It will be [an] ongoing investigation.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

“A tragic situation is made even more tragic [by] the fact that two young kids lost their lives due to the decision of someone else to drive impaired. That’s a hard thing to get past,” Barclay added.

The California Highway Patrol, Napa County Sheriff’s Office and Napa County Coroner’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The Napa County Coroner’s Office identified the two children as 10-year-old Damian Montanez and 9-year-old Aaliyah Montanez, per KTVU-TV. They were both students in the Napa Valley Unified School District.

The school district said in a statement: “Our hearts go out to the family as we grieve with our community and offer support during this difficult time. We continue to have counseling and social worker support available for students and staff.” 

A GoFundMe to raise money for the children’ s funerals was shared online. In the post, the pair were described by their family as “sweet, loving, full of life kids” who “touched everyone they met” and “who will be missed greatly” 

“They were always helpful and loved camping in Lake Tahoe, where they often went with their grandparents, Lilia and Enrique,” the family wrote, adding, “To say that the Montanez-Rincon family are devastated with this loss is an understatement.”

According to police booking records Barajas is being held on $500,000 bail.