Victims in deadly Tesla crash in El Doardo Hills identified
Authorities have identified three victims in a deadly crash after a Tesla crashed into a tree and was engulfed in flames in El Dorado Hills late Saturday night.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office Coroner's Division identified them as Charles Anthony Cameron, 30, of Sacramento; Alejandra Mendoza, 28, of Sacramento; and Kailauna Viola Mills, 28, of Roseville.
The crash happened on westbound Serrano Parkway, west of Terracina Drive, around 10:40 p.m. Saturday.
The California Highway Patrol said it found a 2024 Tesla Model Y crashed into a tree and fully engulfed in flames. Officers said a passenger, identified later as Cameron, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.
The driver and another passenger, identified as Mendoza and Mills, were found dead inside the vehicle after the flames were put out, the CHP said.
There is a growing memorial on Serrano Parkway at the scene of the crash.
Richard Mills, Kailauna Mills' uncle, spoke on behalf of the Mills family Wednesday, sharing more about his niece who was affectionately known as "Lala."
He said Mills was engaged and set to be married next April. She worked in the medical field and was living in Arizona, visiting the Sacramento region to see family. She was with friends in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
"She had the most golden heart. She would give you her last dollar. She would make sure you were fed before anyone else. She was an absolute angel," said Richard Mills, Kailauna's uncle.
He said the family has not visited the site of the crash but is grateful for the outpouring of love they have received.
"It was just really really hard... gut-wrenching. We've just really tried to come together, all of us... all of the strength that we have," said Mills.
A third passenger, a 28-year-old woman from Sacramento, escaped the vehicle after the crash and was later taken to the hospital with major injuries, officers said.
The crash and cause remain under investigation.
