Report: Victim, girlfriend of driver in 12-car crash, was 11 weeks pregnant

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Documents reveal the girlfriend of a driver accused of intentionally crashing into multiple cars in northwest Las Vegas was 11 weeks pregnant.

Around 3:30 p.m., LVMPD officers responded to the area of Cheyenne and Jones and discovered multiple vehicles involved in the collision (later confirmed to be 12), one of which was on fire.

LVMPD previously reported that medical crews immediately began treating multiple people on scene. The arrest report states that medical crews immediately approached a woman lying in the roadway after being ejected during the crash.

The woman was later identified as Adilene Duran-Ricon, the first death reported on the scene. She was the girlfriend and passenger of the accused driver, Jose Gutierrez.

Gutierrez later told officers that Duran-Rincon was four months pregnant and had been to the doctor once since the start of her pregnancy. Coroner’s office officials later confirmed that she was with child, although they stated that she was 11 weeks into her pregnancy.

A man in a Subaru, later identified as Edward Garcia. was removed from the vehicle and placed in an ambulance. He was later pronounced dead at an area hospital.

Initial investigation found that Gutierrez was driving an Infiniti G-37 at an extremely high rate of speed and failed to yield, crashing into multiple vehicles stopped at a red light.

One white Nissan Altima was “catapulted in a northeasterly direction,” the report stated.

The driver of that Altima, Jose Pena-Dominiguez, was transported to a hospital with substantial injuries, including a lacerated liver. The passenger of the Altima, Vanessa Lainez-Vasquez, was also taken to UMC with life-threatening injuries.

According to the report, video surveillance showed Gutierrez’s vehicle traveling “in a nearly straight line” into the rear of the first vehicle without braking or slowing to avoid the crash. The report said the traffic light was “red and clearly visible.”

Gutierrez was also among the multiple victims transported to the hospital in the aftermath of the crash. While at UMC, he initially told police he was driving, then denied it, then changed his story again and confirmed he was driving.

When asked if he had consumed alcohol before the crash, Gutierrez denied it but admitted to smoking marijuana beforehand. The officer also noted in the report that Gutierrez’s eyes were “bloodshot and watery.”

The report states that two blood draws were taken while Gutierrez was at UMC. That data indicated that Gutierrez had a small amount of fentanyl in his system, which the report noted may have been a result of treatment for his injuries. His sample also showed a trace amount of Cannabinoids, under the legal limit, the report stated. The document said this indicated to police that Gutierrez was not impaired.

A marijuana vape pen was later found by crime scene analysts in the pocket of Gutierrez’s clothing, which was removed as he arrived at the hospital, the report stated.

Gutierrez stated he did not remember the crash. He told officers he might have had a seizure and that he had been having them since the age of five. He told police he had never taken medications or been officially diagnosed for seizures. The report noted that if he had experienced a seizure, it would have caused him to lose consciousness, and the vehicle would have slowed before the collision.

Last month, court records also show that Gutierrez was cited for going 52 mph in a posted 35 mph zone.

Gutierrez faces two charges of open murder, one count of attempted murder, and one count of battery with the use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm.

Gutierrez last appeared in court on Friday, facing new murder charges. He’s scheduled to appear in court again on Tuesday.