Photo: Yuliya Starikova / iStock / Getty Images
A 27-year-old homeless woman was killed at Beard Brook Park in Modesto, California, after getting run over by a lawnmower. Authorities said that Christine Chavez was sleeping in a weed-covered area of the park around noon while a landscaper was using a tractor with a pull-behind mower to cut the grass.
Once the landscaper realized he had run over Chavez, he immediately called 911. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Christine's sister, Rosalinda, described the gruesome scene to KTXL.
"They left big (pieces) of her all over the place, just covered up with the grass. We have to go see the place because we wanted some kind of closure, and to be right there, looking at the ground, and then all of a sudden, seeing (pieces) of her is horrible," Rosalinda said.
Her father, Christopher, is demanding a full investigation into his daughter's death and wants to know how the worker didn't see her sleeping in the grass.
"It's a lie that they didn't see her," he said, according to KCRA. "I'm going to keep going because I need to. I'm looking for justice, and I'm going to be there until something happens."
E & J Gallo Winery, which acquired the park the day before the accident, said that they are fully cooperating with the investigation.