{"id":2560,"date":"2026-06-19T22:39:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T22:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2560"},"modified":"2026-06-19T22:39:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T22:39:36","slug":"bloodstains-were-found-outside-an-east-bay-temple-but-it-was-already-too-late-for-the-victim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2560","title":{"rendered":"Bloodstains were found outside an East Bay temple. But it was already too late for the victim"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BRENTWOOD \u2014 The driver had just witnessed a horrific crash during a foggy morning on Vasco Road. He stopped his Honda Accord and rushed out to help.<\/p>\n

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His primary focus was a woman who still appeared to be trapped inside the 2008 Volkswagen Golf that had just swerved into oncoming traffic and collided with a box truck. But the Samaritan\u2019s good deed wouldn\u2019t go unpunished; as he went to check on both vehicles\u2019 occupants, he noticed the Volkswagen\u2019s driver stumbling off, pants at his ankles, according to court records. A moment later, the suspect was driving off in the Honda, eventually leading police on a lengthy chase that ended when he allegedly crashed it into a center divider in Walnut Creek.<\/p>\n

The Volkswagen\u2019s passenger would be identified as Miriam Patricia Avila, 37, a woman whose family had been frantically trying to reach her. She languished at a hospital for three days before she died from injuries sustained in the crushing impact of the Jan. 26 crash. By then, police in San Leandro realized that the crash was linked to a mystery that started 90 minutes before the crash, when bloodstains were found outside the temple where Avila worked. As more evidence stacked up, police were left with a chilling picture of what exactly led to her death, court records show.<\/p>\n

The driver, identified as Humberto Guevara, 32, has been charged with vehicular manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon, fleeing the scene of a crash, car theft, assault on a peace officer, evading police, hit and run, driving on a suspended license, and violating a protective order, all part of an 11-count criminal complaint. He\u2019s next due in court in August for a preliminary hearing, where a judge will review the evidence against him.<\/p>\n

Guevara and Avila had dated, but he\u2019d been ordered by a judge to stay away from her over allegations of domestic violence, according to court records. Despite this, he\u2019d shown up at her workplace at the Temple Beth Sholom in San Leandro, authorities said. Witnesses would later tell police they saw a confrontation, and that Guevara appeared to run over Avila with the Volkswagen, leaving blood at the scene.<\/p>\n

It was not clear how Avila ended up inside Guevara\u2019s car \u2014 whether voluntarily, coerced or forced, it seems she was severely injured at that moment \u2014 but she did, and the pair left the scene. Authorities have not charged Guevara with kidnapping.<\/p>\n

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Guevera would later allegedly tell police that he was trying to help her because of some unexplained injury. His statement \u2014 made after his arrest \u2014 was disjointed and he appeared to be under the influence of a stimulant, according to police. But one detail stood out: After telling Avila it was time to go and taking her from the temple, she began to say things like, \u201cWhat are we doing here?\u201d and \u201cI don\u2019t want to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two drove through the Tri-Valley, past several hospitals, ending up in Vasco Road in Brentwood, authorities said. At around 9:20 a.m., witnesses said the Volkswagen suddenly veered from an eastbound lane into westbound traffic, colliding with the box truck head on. Avila was crushed inside the Volkswagen, while Guevara allegedly stumbled to the Honda Accord, got inside, and drove off, according to court records.<\/p>\n

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During the chase that followed, Guevara allegedly attempted to ram police multiple times, drove the wrong way down an Interstate 680 offramp, and reached speeds of 120 miles per hour. Finally, he crashed near Ygnacio Valley Road in Walnut Creek, then ran from the disabled Honda until police cornered him and convinced him to surrender, authorities said.<\/p>\n

When police located Avila\u2019s mother, she told them she\u2019d been desperately trying to reach Avila since a little before 8 a.m. on Jan. 26. Behind the temple, next to Avila\u2019s bloodstains, police had also located an ID card in her name, court records show.<\/p>\n

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The evidence paints a chilling picture of Miriam Patricia Avila’s final hours, from her alleged abduction to the Brentwood crash that killed her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBloodstains were found outside an East Bay temple. 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