MORGAN HILL
– Chiapas, Mexico, will be the final resting place of a small
girl killed in a tragic accident just north of Morgan Hill.
Family members said Cynthia Marroquin, 1, will be buried in the
state where her grandparents live. Chiapas is the southernmost
state in Mexico, on the border with Guatemala.
MORGAN HILL – Chiapas, Mexico, will be the final resting place of a small girl killed in a tragic accident just north of Morgan Hill.
Family members said Cynthia Marroquin, 1, will be buried in the state where her grandparents live. Chiapas is the southernmost state in Mexico, on the border with Guatemala.
Cynthia was killed when she was accidentally run over by her mother’s boyfriend Tuesday near their home.
The child would have been 16 months old Saturday.
A report released by the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office this morning listed the cause of death as multiple blunt-force injuries.
René Perez, a family friend, said Cynthia was a happy little girl.
“She was such a beautiful little girl, so happy,” Perez said. “She really loved to dance.”
And, indeed, a photo of Cynthia taken a few months ago showed a cute and cheerful baby smiling at the camera.
Faviana Marroquin, Cynthia’s mother, was calm Wednesday but still understandably distraught. Cynthia was her youngest child; an older daughter lives in Chiapas. Faviana, who is in her 30s, stayed at home with Cynthia and did not work, Perez said.
The accident occurred just after 2 p.m. Tuesday when Pedro Muniz, 34, began to drive his 1991 Mitsubishi Montero and a small trailer slowly out of the driveway of the house he shared with Cynthia and her mother. Cynthia ran after him and was caught by a tire; she was pronounced dead at the scene by American Medical Response paramedics a short time later.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident but, according to Sgt. Brad Voyles, there was no sign of negligence by Muniz. It will be up to the District Attorney’s office to decide whether or not to press any charges against Muniz, he added.
The family now needs help with funeral expenses.
“They are very expensive,” Perez said.
Fr. Eugene O’Donnell, of St. Catherine Catholic Church, Faviana’s parish, said the church regularly helps families with the unexpected expense of burial and normally accepts any donations the community would like to add for the purpose.
Fr. Oscar Morales, St. Catherine’s Spanish-speaking priest, visited Faviana twice on Tuesday.
Perez also said one family member, Dalia Lopez, had undertaken all the funeral arrangements.
“Dalia has been very, very helpful to Faviana,” Perez said.
Details of a fund to handle funeral expenses will be released later. St. Catherine Catholic Church is located at 17500 Peak Ave., Morgan Hill, CA 95037. The church office number is 779-3959.
