A young California mother was killed after being run over by a lawnmower while laying in a park – with her traumatized family saying they found ‘chunks’ of her remains afterwards.
Christine Chavez, 27, was lying in a weed-filled area of Beard Brook Park in Modesto on July 8 when she was run over by an employee cutting the grass.
The grass cutter – driving a John Deere tractor with a pull-behind mower – was only able to spot the body of Chavez after he’d mowed her over.
Her father, Christopher Chavez, said that when he went to the scene of her death, there will still parts of her body laying there. Some of her clothes were also left behind.
‘There were many pieces of (her remains) around there and I called the police,’ Chavez said. ‘I went there and I still have pieces of bones, like pieces of her skull and some teeth. It’s terrible.’
Christine Chavez was lying in Beard Brook Park in Modesto on July 8 when she was run over by an employee cutting the grass
The 27 year-old mom of one was lying on a weeded area when a John Deere tractor with a pull behind mower ran over her and killed her
A patch of blood-stained grass was spotted close to where Chavez was tragically-killed
Chavez was homeless at the time of her death, and leaves behind a nine year-old daughter who’s being cared for by her family.
Another female family member, who did not give her name, told Fox40: ”I mean, big chunks of her are all over the place, just covered up with the grass.
‘We have to go, you know, just like to see the place.
‘And to be right there, looking at the ground and then seeing, like, chunks hair is horrible.’
E & J Gallo Winery, which only bought the park a day before Chavez was killed, put out a statement on Friday,
‘Gallo acquired the Beard Brook Park property in Modesto on Friday, July 7, 2023. On Saturday, July 8, 2023, a landscaping contractor was hired to perform weed abatement and fire prevention services.’
‘There was an accident at approximately 12:00 p.m. involving the contractor’s tractor and an individual who was not visible and laying in a tall, weeded area. The contractor immediately contacted the Modesto Police Department, and upon arrival, MPD officers declared the individual was deceased.’
‘Gallo expresses its sincere condolences to the family of the victim,’ the statement continued.
Grover Landscaping Services, who cut the grass at the park, also put out a statement Friday.
‘In a dry, overgrown area, our operator discovered the body of a woman impacted by the pull-behind mower, at which time he contacted the Modesto Police Department,’ the statement reads.
Both Gallo and Grover have promised to cooperate with any investigation into Chavez’s death.
Chavez’s father shared images of clothes from the scene, although it’s unclear if these belong to his daugter
Chavez is homeless and has a 9-year-old daughter that her family is now committing to care for
Beard Brook Park in Modesto had just been purchased by a private company the day before Chavez died
The grass cutter – driving a John Deere tractor with a pull-behind mower – was only able to spot the body of Chavez after he’d mowed her over
Her father, Christopher Chavez, said that when he went to the scene of her death, there will still parts of her body laying there
Chavez’s brother-in-law, Jose Zermeño, said that he has experience with the kind of machines that ended up killing his sister-in-law and believes there may have been negligence involved.
‘I work with machinery, I know when you are with machinery, you are paying attention to what is ahead of you, especially if you have something dragging behind you,’ Zermeño told Fox 40. ‘And for him not to see anything laying in front of him, he wasn’t doing his job.’
Chavez’s family says they will do whatever they can to get justice for their beloved daughter.
‘I am sad for what happened to my daughter, and we want justice for the way that she died,’ said Christine’s mother Josefina Chavez.
At a city council meeting, Dez Martinez, a member of a homeless advocacy organization We Are Not Invisible, was critical of the city and said his heart broke for Chavez’s father.
‘I am sad for what happened to my daughter, and we want justice for the way that she died,’ said Christine’s mother Josefina Chavez
Both Modesto police and Mayor Sue Zwahlen spoke at the same meeting, apologizing for Chavez’s death but calling it an accident
‘He doesn’t even get to see his daughter,’ he said. ‘You guys get to kiss your kids good night. If you buried them, you get to see them. He does not. Thank you.’
Martinez was critical of the treatment of Modesto’s homeless population beyond what happened to Chavez.
‘What happened to building affordable housing, tiny home villages, safe camps, to get people off the streets so they’re not raped, they’re not killed, and they’re not run over while taking a nap in a park?’
Both Modesto police and Mayor Sue Zwahlen spoke at the same meeting, apologizing for Chavez’s death but calling it an accident.
The family has started a Gofundme to raise money for Chavez’s daughter and get justice for Christine.
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