5-Year-Old La Mesa Girl Killed After Car Crashes into Otay Lakes Reservoir

Update, Tuesday, 8:40 a.m.: 10News is reporting that Giuliana Figueroa was the daughter of Eric Figueroa, the man who was riding in the passenger seat when Arlene Hernandez plunged the minivan into the reservoir. Eric was able to extricate himself from the vehicle.

Original story:

A 22-year-old woman was jailed Monday on suspicion of drunken driving and gross vehicular manslaughter after her minivan crashed into the Otay Lakes Reservoir, killing two 5-year-old girls in the backseat, one of whom was from La Mesa.

Arlene Anna Hernandez was booked into the Las Colinas Women's Detention Facility in Santee around 12:30 a.m., according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department's jail records.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office identified the girls as Lesette Silva of Chula Vista and Giuliana Figueroa of La Mesa. Their relationship to Hernandez, if any, was not immediately clear.

Hernandez was behind the wheel of an eastbound 2005 Kia Sedona that crashed into the reservoir from Otay Lakes Road shortly before 6:15 p.m. Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

"Due to Hernandez's level of intoxication, she lost control of the Kia," which tumbled down the embankment and landed on its roof in the reservoir lake, a CHP statement said.

Hernandez and a man in the front passenger seat were able to get out of the submerged van, it said.

U.S. Border Patrol agents and civilians extricated the girls and rendered aid until paramedics arrived.  The children were transported by helicopter to Rady Children's Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Hernandez is being held on $400,000 bail. She is facing four felony counts, including gross vehicular manslaughter, cruelty to child leading to injury/death, and DUI drugs/alcohol resulting in bodily injury. An arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 8 in the Chula Vista Courthouse.

– City News Service contributed to this story.