Pesina’s family were the ones to find her body about 36 hours after the crash.
SAN ANTONIO — The family of a 21-year-old San Antonio mother who died in a crash earlier this week is remembering her life — and questioning why police were unable to locate the wreck.
Family and friends gathered Saturday morning at the site where Jolie Pesina died in a Monday morning crash. Loved ones described her as big-hearted, devoted to her family and a caring mother.
“We were already one piece. Now we’re not,” a family member said. “Our family feels broken, hurt.”
According to San Antonio police, officers and firefighters were dispatched just before 6 a.m. Monday to Southwest Loop 410 near Highway 16 after a cellular alert indicated a possible crash.
Responders searched the area but found no signs of a wreck and cleared the scene by 6:15 a.m., police said.
“There were no witnesses,” police said. “We went out there and were not able to locate any kind of accident.”
Pesina’s family said they tried calling and texting her throughout Monday. When she did not respond and still had not been heard from by Tuesday, they filed a missing persons report.
Desperate for answers, the family went to the area themselves Tuesday night — roughly 36 hours after the initial police search.
They found Pesina’s vehicle in a ravine about a mile from where officers and firefighters had been dispatched.
“I’m still in shock. I still can’t wrap my head around the whole thing,” a family member said.
The discovery, they said, was one they never wanted to make. Now they are demanding clarity on how the crash went unnoticed.
“We’re getting our answers,” a family member said. “We just have to take it slowly, day by day.”
San Antonio police called the situation “very unfortunate” and offered condolences to the family. The crash remains under investigation.
The family has created a GoFundMe to help with burial cost, if you would like to help, you can click here.
