Miguel Guzman

Introduction

Miguel Guzman, a 50-year-old Sacramento man, was arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail after a suspected drunk-driving crash killed a 1-year-old girl at St. Mary Cemetery on November 1, 2026, as her family visited her grandmother’s gravesite for Día de los Muertos. Police identified Guzman as the suspect on Monday, and jail records show he faces several charges — including gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated — with bail set at $470,000. He was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon. Guzman has not publicly responded to the charges, which remain accusations; he has not been tried or convicted of any offense.

Background Information

The crash happened shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, November 1, at St. Mary Cemetery & Funeral Center in South Sacramento, where hundreds of families had gathered for Día de los Muertos to honor deceased loved ones. Janessa Milagro Mazur Diaz, who had recently celebrated her first birthday, was at the cemetery with her family visiting her grandmother’s gravesite when she and her father were struck. Both were found injured at the scene and taken to a hospital, where the child died from her injuries; her father remained in the ICU with broken ribs, a fractured nose and a fractured skull.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not convicted.

According to the New York Post, Sacramento police responded to the crash near St. Mary Cemetery shortly before 5 p.m., where Janessa and her father were found injured. The child’s mother, Jackline Patino Diaz, told KCRA 3 that the family had just celebrated Janessa’s first birthday — “We were just celebrating, never in a bad mood” — and described the moment she had to tell the girl’s father his daughter had died: “The first thing he asked me when I walked in the room was, ‘Where’s my baby?’ and I had to tell him she was gone.”

Police initially detained Guzman at the crash site as a person of interest while investigators worked to determine his involvement and whether drugs or alcohol were factors, CBS Sacramento reported. The New York Post reported that Guzman initially remained at the scene but allegedly attempted to leave before police detained him, and that investigators are now examining the crash as a possible hit-and-run.

He was arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail. The New York Post reported he faces several charges, “including gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and other DUI-related offenses,” while CBS Sacramento, citing officials, said the felony charges include DUI, hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter. Maison Law, citing KCRA, reported the booking suspicions as gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence and causing bodily injury, and willfully causing injury to a child. The 1-year-old’s death at a family graveside visit — allegedly under the wheels of a suspected impaired driver — is the conduct the page records. All charges are accusations in an open case.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The girl’s family shared tributes and launched a GoFundMe for funeral costs and the father’s medical expenses, which had raised more than $19,000 of its $35,000 goal by Tuesday morning. “No parent should ever have to experience the pain of losing their child,” the family wrote, and in a tribute to the child: “Your little life made an impact that will never be forgotten.” Janessa’s mother told KCRA 3 she was planning her daughter’s funeral and speaking with investigators. The timing — a toddler killed beside her father at her grandmother’s grave during a Day of the Dead observance — drew widespread attention to the case.

Current Status

Guzman remains in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail with bail set at $470,000, according to jail records, and was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon. The investigation remains open, with police examining the crash as a possible hit-and-run. No conviction has been entered, no plea has been reported, and Guzman has made no public statement through counsel or otherwise; the felony accusations — manslaughter while intoxicated among them — are unadjudicated.

Impact on Their Career/Life

At 50, Guzman goes from an unremarkable private life in Sacramento to facing felony counts that carry potential state-prison terms, a $470,000 bail hold, and an open hit-and-run inquiry layered on top of the DUI allegations. For the Diaz family, the loss is permanent: a first-birthday celebration became a funeral fund, and a father began recovering from broken ribs and skull and facial fractures in an ICU while learning his daughter had died. The case now sits where impaired driving meets a family ritual of remembrance, and its outcome will be watched through Guzman’s first court appearances.

Sources

NY Post, “DUI driver kills toddler at grandmother’s gravesite memorial in NorCal”, November 3, 2026 — source
CBS Sacramento (Coleman Petit, Cecilio Padilla), “Sacramento man arrested after 1-year-old girl killed in cemetery crash”, November 2, 2026 — source
Maison Law (Martin Gasparian), “DUI Suspect Miguel Guzman Arrested after Sacramento Cemetery Crash on 21st Ave Kills Infant, Injures Man”, November 2, 2026 — source
NY Post (@nypost), trigger tweet, “Toddler killed by DUI driver at grandmother’s gravesite as anguished mom speaks out”, November 3, 2026 — source