A family trip to Fresno to celebrate a teenager’s upcoming birthday ended in tragedy early Sunday morning when a wrong-way crash on Highway 99 killed a Bakersfield mother and her two daughters.
The California Highway Patrol has since identified the vehicle that was traveling in the wrong direction and the man who was driving it, giving investigators a clearer picture of what led to the deadly collision.
But several important questions remain unanswered, including whether alcohol or drugs played a role and what criminal charges, if any, may follow.
The crash happened at about 12:44 a.m. Sunday, August 16, on southbound Highway 99 north of 7th Standard Road near Bakersfield.
Three vehicles were involved: a 2022 Honda Accord, a 2019 BMW 530i and a 2022 Chevrolet Colorado.
The Honda was carrying three members of the same family. It caught fire after the collision, and all three occupants died at the scene.
The victims were later identified by the Kern County Coroner’s Office as 41-year-old Vanessa Sue Wetmore and her daughters, 20-year-old Kylie Wetmore and 16-year-old Kloie Wetmore, all of Bakersfield.
According to the coroner’s office, Kylie was driving the Honda, while Vanessa and Kloie were passengers.
The three were returning from Fresno after attending a concert, according to a GoFundMe campaign organized by members of the family. The trip had been planned as part of a celebration for Kloie’s upcoming 17th birthday.
Kloie would have turned 17 on Thursday, August 20, just four days after the crash.
The family had attended a concert at Fresno’s Save Mart Center before beginning the drive home to Bakersfield. What was supposed to be a celebration with family instead became the final trip the mother and her two daughters would ever take together.
CHP identifies the wrong-way vehicle
When investigators first announced the crash, they knew that one of the vehicles had been traveling north in the southbound lanes of Highway 99.
At that point, however, CHP had not determined which vehicle was responsible.
That changed several days later.
On Friday, August 21, CHP confirmed that the 2019 BMW 530i was the vehicle traveling in the wrong direction.
Investigators also identified the driver as 44-year-old Jamie Rodriguez of Tulare.
Rodriguez was the only person inside the BMW. He suffered major injuries in the collision and was taken to a hospital, according to CHP.
The identification represents an important development in the investigation, but it does not mean that all questions surrounding the crash have been resolved.
CHP said other aspects of the case remain under investigation, including potential charges.
Authorities have also not said whether alcohol or drugs contributed to the crash. That remains an open part of the investigation.
A third vehicle was also involved
The crash was not limited to the Honda and BMW.
A 2022 Chevrolet Colorado was also involved. The truck was being driven by a 41-year-old woman, and two people inside the vehicle suffered minor injuries, according to CHP.
The BMW driver suffered major injuries.
The Honda, however, sustained the most devastating consequences. It immediately became engulfed in flames after the collision, and Vanessa, Kylie and Kloie were killed at the scene.
Investigators are now working to reconstruct the sequence of the three-vehicle collision and determine precisely how the vehicles came together on the highway.
The family had been celebrating Kloie’s birthday
The circumstances surrounding the family’s trip have made the loss particularly painful for relatives and friends.
According to the family’s GoFundMe campaign, the trip to Fresno was meant to celebrate Kloie’s 17th birthday.
Instead, the family returned home with three members gone.
The fundraiser describes the loss as the death of a mother and two daughters at the same time and asks for help with funeral expenses, immediate family needs and support for the surviving son and brother.
By Thursday, more than $67,000 had reportedly been raised.
The fundraiser was organized by Vanessa’s brother, Dale Schoettler, who said the family was struggling to comprehend the loss.
The money is intended to help the family deal with the immediate financial consequences of the crash while they mourn Vanessa, Kylie and Kloie.
For the family, the tragedy is therefore unfolding on two levels at once: the emotional loss of three relatives and the practical reality of arranging three funerals and supporting the relatives left behind.
The investigation is still developing
The identification of Jamie Rodriguez gives investigators a key piece of information, but authorities have not publicly released a complete explanation of how the BMW entered the southbound lanes.
They also have not announced whether Rodriguez has been arrested or formally charged in connection with the deaths.
CHP said the question of potential charges remains under investigation.
That distinction is important.
At this stage, it is accurate to say that CHP identified Rodriguez as the driver of the BMW that was traveling the wrong way.
It is not yet accurate to state that he has been convicted of causing the deaths or to speculate about what criminal charges prosecutors will ultimately pursue.
Likewise, authorities have not established publicly that alcohol or drugs caused the crash.
Those questions will depend on the continuing investigation and any evidence investigators are able to establish.
Three lives lost in seconds
The identities of the victims have now been made public, giving the tragedy a human dimension beyond the initial reports of a fiery highway crash.
Vanessa Wetmore was 41.
Her daughter Kylie was 20.
Her younger daughter Kloie was 16.
The three were traveling together after what was supposed to be a memorable family celebration.
Instead, the crash on Highway 99 took all three lives.
Kloie’s 17th birthday arrived just days after the collision, turning what should have been a celebration into a painful reminder of the three people the family lost.
As relatives begin making funeral arrangements and the community rallies around them, the investigation continues.
For now, authorities have established that the BMW was traveling in the wrong direction and have identified its driver. The crash involved three vehicles, killed three members of one Bakersfield family and injured three other people.
But investigators are still working to answer the questions that could determine what happens next.
Was alcohol or drugs a factor?
Why was the BMW traveling against traffic on Highway 99?
What evidence will investigators uncover as they reconstruct the moments before the collision?
And will the evidence lead to criminal charges?
Those answers have not yet been announced.
For Vanessa Wetmore’s family, however, the immediate reality is already clear.
A mother and her two daughters left Bakersfield for a night that was supposed to celebrate a teenager’s birthday.
They never made it home.
Now, as CHP continues investigating the crash and considers what legal action may follow, the family is left grieving three lives lost in a matter of seconds — while a community comes together to help them through what should have been a celebration, but instead became a devastating loss.