Investigators of deadly Calif. bus crash want to know who may have given alcohol to minors

Flask found in SUV in fatal crash with bus in CA

FRESNO, Calif. — Investigators want to know who may have provided alcohol to the underage driver of an SUV involved in a crash with a Greyhound bus that killed six people, according to documents released Thursday.

Authorities said 18-year-old Sylvia Garay of Dinuba had a blood-alcohol content above the legal limit in the July 22 crash on Highway 99.

“Sylvia Garay’s cellular telephone will contain evidence leading to the subject(s) who provided the alcoholic beverages to the underage individuals, thus contributing to the deaths of the three individuals,” the search warrant documents said.

The SUV had crashed before it was struck by the oncoming bus.

Garay and her two passengers, Stephanie Cordoba, 20, and Vanessa Gonzalez, 19, were killed along with three people aboard the bus, including the driver. Cordoba also had alcohol in her system, according to authorities.

The documents filed in Fresno County Superior Court also said a crushed metal flask that smelled of alcohol was found in the wreckage of the SUV. California Highway Patrol investigators sought the search warrant to confiscate the flask and obtain Garay’s cell phone records.

Garay attended a dance party in Fresno before the crash, friends said.

Cordoba and Gonzalez had wrist bands from a club that indicated they were under 21, according to the documents.

Vance Wedeking, a CHP spokesman, said he could not comment on the documents or the ongoing investigation. He said a final report was pending.

A preliminary investigation showed Garay made an abrupt left turn across the northbound lanes of the highway and hit the center divider just after 2 a.m., flipping the Chevy Trailblazer on its side.

Garay was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle, according to the documents.