The 18-year-old who crashed her father's car into a family on Labor Day may have been "huffing" from compressed gas canisters or paint thinners before the crash, according the Highland Park Police Department.
Jaclyn Santos-Sacramento: The Story So Far
Carly Rousso, the Highland Park resident who drove a Lexus coupe into a Highland Park mother and her three children, may have been inhaling a chemical-laced spray before the crash, which resulted in the death of 5-year-old Jaclyn Santos-Sacramento, Deputy Chief of Support Services George Pfutzenreuter told Patch on Monday.
"We are investigating the use of huffing agents or huffing materials with relation this accident," Pfutzenreuter said. "It can include a lot of different things: cleaners, any types of compressed gases, paint thinners, glues."
Pfutzenreuter would not confirm or deny if any of those materials were found in the car Rousso was driving.
"We want to try this case in court," he said.
Rousso has been cited with driving under the influence of an intoxicating compound or compounds. The Lake County State's Attorney's office is waiting for toxicology test results from blood and urine samples taken at the time of the crash before deciding what additional charges to file. Rousso will appear in Lake County Court at 9 a.m. Sept. 21 in Waukegan.
Visitation held for Jaclyn
In the meantime, the community has continued its efforts to support Jaclyn's family. A visitation for Jaclyn was held from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Seguin & Symonds Funeral Home in Highwood on Monday. Visitation will continue Tuesday morning from 9 a.m. until the funeral mass begins at 10 a.m.
A memorial fund started by the PTO presidents at Indian Trail School, where Jaclyn attended as a kindergartener, has raised over $66,000 since it started last week. Over a thousand people have donated. A memorial walk held last Thursday brought close to a thousand people out to show support for Jaclyn's family.
Restaurant employees at Trifecta Grill in Winnetka have also been making an effort to raise funds for the victim's family. Jaclyn's father, Thomas Santos de Jesus, has worked there as a dishwasher since it opened earlier this year. He was there working when he first got the call about the crash.
“He was here at work when he got the phone call,” Trifecta owner Mary O’Neil said. “He reacted as anyone would. Luckily he had one other co-worker here who immediately drove him to the scene.”
Since then, the restaurant has raised over $2,000 for the family.
Paul Dean, the executive Ddirector of Family Service, which provides bilingual counseling in Highland Park, told Patch that counselors have already been offered to the families of both Jaclyn and Rousso for free.
"As soon as they call, they will be seen," Dean said.
For more news and updates, "like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.