The family of Francisco Guzman Parra was fraught with worry, suspecting he was the unidentified driver who’d perished in an automobile collision in Upper Manhattan after a stolen car had violently crashed into a building. Their anxiety was sustained for a handful of days before they could confirm. Loved ones of Francisco Andres Guzman Parra convened at the vicinity of the fatal accident in a mourning vigil, his absence from their lives apparent.
The feeling of unease swelled within Carmen Colon, his stepmother, when her multiple text messages remained unanswered. The accident had occurred a few days prior to her mounting concern, specifically on April 2. A male individual driving a stolen 2025 Honda CRV lost his life when the vehicle collided with an architecture in the Inwood location of Manhattan and subsequently burst into flames.
The said driver, reduced to an unrecognizable state due to the severe burns sustained in the accident, remained unidentified in the immediate aftermath. Two police officers involved in a chase of the car at the time of the accident were put under suspension as a formal investigation into their conduct was launched. The silence that greeted her texts and the increasing murmurs around the accident made Ms. Colon fear for her stepson’s safety.
Ms. Colon, a resident of Orange County, N.Y, located a distance north of New York City, harbored an increasing dread that her 31-year-old stepson, Francisco Andres Guzman Parra, was the unidentified deceased driver. For any confirmation, on April 4, she and Mr. Guzman Parra’s elder sister, Francis, reached out to the police precincts linked to the deadly crash.
Their investigation led them first to the 50th precinct in the Bronx where the suspended officers had been on duty, and subsequently to the 34th in Upper Manhattan, near the crash site. Their desperate plea to the officers was simple and dire, ‘Is the deceased my stepson?’. Unfortunately, they left the precincts with no additional information, their questions remained unanswered.
In an attempt to aid in the identification process, Ms. Colon contacted the New York City medical examiner’s office early on the following day. She provided the office with potential evidence that could be key to their identification. Mr. Guzman Parra had previously received treatment for a dental problem at a no-cost clinic in Harlem, and his dental records were therefore available for cross-reference.
Time continued its relentless march with Sunday, April 6 arriving. Resilient in her fear, Ms. Colon resorted to her faith, offering prayers at a local church seeking comfort and strength. The ensuing days were marked with a similar rhythm, as time moved at a painful pace.
Her worst fears were realized on the following Wednesday afternoon, when the medical examiner’s office returned her call with a confirmation. The news hit her hard: Mr. Francisco Andres Guzman Parra, her stepson, was indeed the unidentified individual, the victim of the car crash. Overwhelmed with grief, she did what she dreaded the most.
It was time to inform his biological mother, who resided in the Dominican Republic. This would be a difficult call, breaking the heartbreaking news of the loss her child. She hoped for strength and fortitude as she dialed, preparing to share the tragic confirmation.