Stephanie Anahi Obituary, Death – A teenage girl who tragically died in a crash in Richmond on Monday has been identified as 16-year-old Stephanie Anahi, according to the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff’s coroner’s division. Initially, the Richmond Police Department reported that the victim was 14 years old, but this was later corrected by the coroner’s office.
At the time of the accident, Stephanie’s 11-year-old sister was also in the car, along with two other minors. Stephanie’s sister was taken to the hospital and remained in critical condition as of Wednesday.
The fatal crash occurred around 5:17 a.m. near the 600 block of Canal Boulevard. The Richmond Police Department reported that the vehicle involved, a stolen Infiniti G35 coupe, had been reported missing on October 12. According to police, the car was speeding in the northbound lanes before leaving the road and colliding with two trees and a utility pole on the east curb line.
After the crash, two 15-year-old male occupants of the Infiniti fled the scene. One was located at a nearby hospital, while the other was found later that evening at his home in Richmond. Both admitted to being passengers in the vehicle but denied driving or stealing it, authorities reported.
The Richmond Police Department noted that the occupants had provided conflicting statements regarding who was driving at the time of the accident. Investigators plan to follow up on additional leads, including DNA evidence, to establish which of the occupants was behind the wheel during the crash.
As of Thursday, no arrests have been made. If it is determined that one of the surviving occupants was the driver, they could face charges of vehicular manslaughter.