Police arrested a 21-year-old Temecula woman after the fatal collision during a brief pursuit that began with a reported burglary.
MENIFEE, Calif. — A 13-year-old boy riding an electric bicycle was killed after police said a woman fleeing officers during a burglary investigation ran a red light and struck him at a Menifee intersection Sept. 15.
The boy was identified by his family as Cody Valentino Garcia Villatoro, a Menifee resident. Police identified the driver as Melody Valdez, 21, of Temecula. Valdez was arrested after the collision and booked on multiple felony allegations, including homicide, according to the Menifee Police Department and local reports. The allegations remain subject to the criminal court process, and authorities said investigations into both the collision and the events surrounding the pursuit were continuing.
The incident began at about 4:54 p.m. when Menifee police were dispatched to a report of a burglary in progress in the 27000 block of Hemingway Court. Police said an officer arriving at the location saw a vehicle leaving and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver did not yield, prompting what the department described as a brief vehicle pursuit. Investigators said the vehicle traveled westbound on Holland Avenue at a high rate of speed.
Police said the fleeing vehicle reached Holland Avenue and Evans Road and went through a red traffic light. Cody was riding his e-bike northbound on Evans Road when he was struck. Officers stopped to provide emergency medical aid, and CAL Fire personnel continued lifesaving efforts after arriving. Cody died from his injuries. Authorities have not released a final reconstruction explaining every aspect of the collision or the pursuit that preceded it.
Investigators said the driver continued traveling after the collision until her vehicle became disabled and stopped. Valdez, who police said was the vehicle’s only occupant, was then taken into custody. CBS Los Angeles reported that she was booked at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center on suspicion of homicide and evading police, among other allegations. Other local reports said she was later being held at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.
The California Highway Patrol’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team was called in at the request of Menifee police and assumed responsibility for investigating the fatal traffic collision. Menifee police, working with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, are handling the associated criminal investigation. Authorities have not publicly released a completed collision analysis or a final account of the pursuit.
Cody’s death has drawn an outpouring of grief in Menifee. His family described him in a memorial fundraiser as kind, loving and joyful, saying he had a way of making people around him smile. Local reporting said a memorial formed near the crash scene as friends, classmates and community members gathered to remember him. Menifee Valley Middle School students were also offered grief support following news of the death, according to local reports.
Menifee Police Chief David Gutierrez told CBS Los Angeles that the driver had a responsibility to stop when an officer attempted to pull her over and said police would work to pursue justice for Cody’s family. The department has emphasized that the criminal investigation remains active. Valdez is accused of conduct connected to the pursuit and crash, but the allegations have not been established through a criminal conviction.
Police have sought information from anyone who witnessed the pursuit or collision or recorded any portion of the incident on surveillance or dash cameras. Investigators are continuing to examine the reported burglary, the pursuit and the fatal crash as separate but related parts of the case.
Local court reporting said Valdez was scheduled to appear at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta on Friday, Sept. 18. Further details about formal charges or findings from the collision investigation had not been publicly announced as of Thursday night.
Author note: Last updated September 17, 2026.