The family of a central California woman killed after a lawn mower operator ran over her is demanding more answers about her bizarre death.
A landscaper operating a John Deere tractor pulling a mower ran over 27-year-old Christine Chavez in an overgrown area on property owned by a winery in Modesto, California on July 8. The driver didn’t realize he had run over Chavez until he saw her body, according to his employer, Grover Landscape Services Inc.
That doesn’t make any sense to Chavez’s parents. They are criticizing Modesto police’s handling of the case, saying investigators left pieces of her remains at the scene. On Tuesday, the family held a protest in front of the department to draw more attention to Chavez’s death, and say further demonstrations are planned.
Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear sent USA TODAY a brief, factual description of what happened and did not respond to additional questions, including about the family’s criticism.
Although the family says they’ve been told the case was closed, Bear said it remains open.
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Unanswered questions
Statements provided by the landscaping company, the winery and the police department describe Chavez’s death as accidental, with the company saying that the area where she was run over was overgrown.
E & J Gallo Wine Co., which owns the property and hired the landscaper, said Chavez “was not visible and laying in a tall, weeded area.”
When the landscaper noticed Chavez’s body, he immediately called 911, the police said.
Chavez’s father, Cristobal Chavez, said he has operated such a mower and that it makes no sense that the landscaper didn’t see his daughter or at least feel her when he ran over her.
“Police told us that it was an accident and that’s all,” he told USA TODAY this week. “They don’t care, they don’t want to investigate.”
The family is also mystified as to why Chavez wouldn’t have heard the mower coming and gotten out of the way, which makes them question whether something happened to her before she was hit.
“There’s no answer for what really happened to my sister,” said Chavez’s brother, Randy Chavez. “They say it was a terrible accident, but how can somebody be laying down and not hear a tractor?”
Condolences
The family said no one has apologized directly to them for what happened to Chavez.
Grover Landscape Services declined to provide more detail about what happened to USA TODAY, though said the company was providing the landscaper with counseling.
“Out of respect for the on-going investigation, we cannot speculate as to the cause of or circumstances surrounding her death,” the statement said. “We are deeply saddened by these events. Our hearts and sympathies go out to her friends and family.”
Gallo said the winery and landscaping company “are fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities on this situation.
“Gallo expresses its sincere condolences to the family of the victim,” the winery’s statement said.
‘It wasn’t a dog that died’
Adding salt to the family’s wounds is the way in which the scene of her death was handled by police.
They say they found multiple pieces of Chavez in the area during their daily vigils following her death. They say that can only be the result of a rushed and insensitive investigation by police.
Dez Martinez, founder and CEO of the nonprofit We Are Not Invisible, believes everything revolving around the case comes down to how the unhoused are treated like disposable human beings.
“It is definitely being treated different than the daughter of the mayor or the daughter or granddaughter of Gallo Winery, or the daughter or granddaughter of Grover,” Martinez said. “I think they did not expect that unhoused individuals have families, too.”
The Chavez family said that Christine had a choice between staying with her father in Modesto and her mother in Yuma, Arizona, but that she was experiencing mental health challenges in recent years and often chose to stay outdoors.
At the age of 17, Chavez started wandering and going on long walks. Over the years, she’d stay out longer and longer and sometimes not come home at all.
“She said, ‘I want to be free. When I’m outside, I’m free,’” Martinez said.
That didn’t make her any less valuable, said Chavez’ mother, Josefina Chavez.
“She was a good girl, she wrote songs and poems … The police did a bad job. It wasn’t a dog that died, it was a human being.”
As a police watchdog, Martinez said she was shocked that the family was finding pieces of Chavez at the scene.
“We were at that place for five days and every day somebody found something else,” she said. “The police have been there twice. We were shocked that you would even be able to leave that blood there, the body parts there, to have the family, the brothers and sisters, the mom and dad, pick these pieces up is so traumatic.”
Further action
“Say her name! Christine Chavez!” shouted Martinez and the Chavez family at a protest outside Modesto police on Tuesday. “Justice for Christine!”
Martinez said that protest is just the beginning and that they’re planning further demonstrations at Modesto police, Gallo winery, Grover, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office and the local sheriff’s office until they get answers.
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The family is also seeking a second autopsy and have vowed to hold a daily vigil where she was killed and say they plan to do so until they’re forced to leave.
Chavez leaves behind a large extended family and a 9-year-old daughter.
“Just because she was unhoused doesn’t mean she wasn’t loved,” Martinez yelled at Tuesday’s protest. “Homeless lives matter!”
