MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — More details are being released regarding the investigation into a St. Louis Park accident that left five kids stuck in a car underwater for as long as 40 minutes.
Two of those kids died and three others remain hospitalized. Five-year-old Zenavia Cloemina Rennie and 7-year-old Alarious Mercelle Coleman-Guerrido both died from complications of drowning. Both deaths were ruled “accidental.”
The investigation is focusing on the driver, 23-year-old Marian Guerrido.
It appears she may have over-corrected as she entered the ramp to Highway 100 in St. Louis Park last month and ended up in a holding pond.
Guerrido is the mother of three of the children. The other two are the children of her boyfriend.
According to a court document, the initial investigation showed there was evidence that Guerrido over-corrected, but the document also shows investigators are trying to find out more about what happened right before the car went into that pond.
In a search warrant, officers said they seized the car’s sensing and diagnostic module, which is similar to an airplane’s black box, to find out more about what happened.
The car plunged into the holding pond and became completely submerged. It took rescuers more than 40 minutes to pull all of the children out.
On a CaringBridge website devoted to the progress of the three surviving children, the latest update from this weekend states: “Lots of improvements the past two days. All three are still in ICU. We are slowly working on getting them all to the same level.”
Also this weekend on the website, Guerrido made her first statement saying, “I would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you for all the support we have been receiving. … I pray that this can serve as a testament to take everyday in account as a miracle. From our hearts to yours.”
The search warrant states investigators are looking for evidence of criminal wrongdoing. So far, there have been no charges in this case — and if that happens, it would likely not happen until the investigation is complete. That could take several months, according to authorities.
