2009 September
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Memorial Held for Victims of August 28 Crash in Santee

Over 200 people turned out today at a church in Chula Vista to honor four victims of a fiery crash that occurred August 28 in Santee. The attendees remembered and celebrated the lives of California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor, his wife Cleofe, their 13-year-old daughter Mahala and Cleofe Saylor’s brother Chris Lastrella.

The four victims were in a Lexus that crashed on SR 125 while traveling north at Mission Gorge Road. The car became airborne and rolled several times, then burst into flames in the San Diego River basin. An investigation into the crash is ongoing. Speculation as to the cause has focused on the possibility of a stuck accelerator pedal, but no conclusions have yet been reached. The car was a loaner, and the CHP officer was off-duty at the time.

When the service ended, the attendees releases dozens of blue and while helium-filled balloons, which floated over trees until they disappeared into the sky, heading towards a giant clowd.