Teen’s body returned to mom in Mexico. Generous Tri-Citians helped make it happen
A mother has been reunited with her child after a tragic accident killed her teenage son in the Tri-Cities last month.
Oscar Sanchez Cayetano, 19, of Kennewick, died June 10 after a car he was working on slipped off a jack and crushed him.
In the weeks since the accident, the community pitched in nearly $9,000 in donations from two car washes and a GoFundMe page to help send the young man’s body back to his mom in Ixtapan de la Sal, Mexico, about 70 miles southwest of Mexico City.
“It was just overwhelming. I was shocked. I was grateful,” said his sister, Marisol Sanchez, 29, of Kennewick. “Without it, I don’t think we could have made this happen so quickly because the funeral home can’t transport him if there’s no payment.”
Sanchez is the oldest of six siblings. She brought Oscar and his twin brother, Eduardo, to the U.S. about a year ago.
The brothers were both born in Las Vegas but had been living in recent years with their mom in Mexico.
She remembers Oscar as a “rebellious” young adult who had a lust for life that was equally matched in his love for fast cars. He enjoyed tinkering on his Mustang and BMW, as well as modifying them.
“He was an active guy. He didn’t like sitting around,” she said.
Oscar worked as an HVAC technician. His sister said his work allowed him to afford the luxuries that would have otherwise been impossible to have in Mexico.
He had a rough upbringing and was looking to find some stability in the Tri-Cities, Sanchez said.
He also enjoyed playing video games, racing, collecting Hot Wheels cars and listening to music.
A life lesson
Sanchez wants her brother’s death to serve as a life lesson to young adults everywhere: Don’t act frivolously.
“It cost my brother his life. I do want the kids to not take life for granted. Take care of yourself and don’t be so careless,” she said. “I do want some good to come out of this.”
Saturday, June 3, was just another day off for Oscar.
He went over to a relative’s home for a brief cookout in the afternoon. He told family members he had plans to go out with his girlfriend of six months, along with his twin and friends.
After a long night of hanging out and partying, Oscar went out driving in the Tri-Cities with two friends until about 5 a.m. the next morning.
Friends recount to Sanchez that Oscar’s four-door BMW sedan was having trouble shifting gears when they pulled over and parked on a gravel buffer near Tulip Lane and Windmill Road in Richland.
The trio waited for some friends to come help them and napped in the car in the meantime. But after a while, Oscar got out a scissor jack and was going to try to make a quick fix himself.
The car slipped off the jack and he was caught underneath.
His friends called 911 and he was rushed to Kadlec Regional Medical Center, where he remained on a ventilator for six days.
‘Like he was sleeping’
The family held out hope for a recovery, but came to the realization that it would likely be impossible for him to recover from the trauma to his head.
“He looked like nothing happened to him. He looked like he was sleeping,” Sanchez said. “Him having his heart still beating after six days blessed us with the gift to say goodbyes, come to terms with things.”
Sanchez and her family are still coming to terms with Oscar’s death but are pleased his kidneys could be donated to save the lives of two others in the Pacific Northwest.
And two services were held: One in Tri-Cities and another in Mexico.
Sanchez said she had only just begun to know who her little brother was when he died.
His death left her wondering whether there was something they could have done to prevent it.
“It gives me peace to know that he was not suffering, but for me it just feels very abrupt because I had not seen him in 10-plus years, and I only got to spend a little bit of time with him,” she said.
This story was originally published July 19, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
