A California toddler has been orphaned after his mother was declared brain-dead and taken off life support six days following the freeway crash that killed his father.
Gregory and Vanessa Tobias, both 29, of Vacaville, were eastbound on Interstate 80 at approximately 2:35 a.m. On Oct. 31 when their blue Hyundai Tucson overturned, authorities said. Moments later, three oncoming vehicles struck the flipped SUV, triggering a chain-reaction pile-up across the freeway.
Gregory sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Vanessa, who had been in the passenger seat, was rushed to Kaiser Vacaville in critical condition and clung to life until Nov. 6, when her family made the decision to end life support.
The couple’s young son, Austin, now survives without either parent.
Vanessa’s mother, Heather Estebez, turned to the family’s GoFundMe campaign to share the devastating news. “After extensive testing, our beautiful daughter was declared brain-dead. There are no words to describe the heartbreak of a mother who prayed so desperately for God to heal her baby,” she wrote.
Estebez described six days of prayer for a miracle that never came. “Our hearts are shattered. I cannot understand why we have lost them both or why precious Austin must grow up without his mommy and daddy. But we are holding tightly to our faith,” she continued.
The family channeled their grief into an act of generosity that mirrored Vanessa’s character. “This morning at 12:18 a.m., Vanessa’s heart was stopped to be donated as someone else else’s miracle. In true Vanessa fashion, she is going to be a selfless blessing to so many other people,” Vanessa’s sister, Charlize Estebez, posted Tuesday in a public Facebook group created for community members and loved ones to share memories and messages.
Vanessa’s organs — her heart, pancreas, kidneys, and liver — were confirmed for donation to save multiple recipients. “My Vanessa had a heart of gold, and now that beautiful heart will continue beating in someone else’s chest,” Estebez added in her GoFundMe update.
Hallie Sullivan, who had been friends with Vanessa for nearly 15 years, posted in the same Facebook group about plans that will now never happen. The two women, whose birthdays fell just a week apart, had been counting down to a joint 30th birthday celebration in Las Vegas in 2027.
“Our birthdays being a week apart was one of our favorites. We even planned to celebrate our 30th next year in Vegas. Greg had never been and I remember us planning a month ago and we were just so excited and marked our calendars down,” Sullivan wrote.
She added that she had been hoping the tragedy was just a nightmare. “I miss you so, so much. Words can’t even begin to describe how much you mean to me,” she said.
The crash occurred in the early hours of Halloween morning when the couple’s Hyundai flipped on the eastbound lanes of I-80, drawing multiple vehicles into the wreckage before authorities could secure the scene.
A joint memorial service for Gregory and Vanessa will be held on Friday, Nov. 20, in Vacaville, followed by a Celebration of Life, the family announced. The couple will be laid to rest at the Vacaville-Elmira Cemetery.
