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CHP Officer and Family Believed to Be Victims in Fatal Crash

August 31, 2009

San Diego – According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) officials, the victims of a fatal car crash on state Route 125 and Mission Gorge Road in Santee are believed to be a veteran CHP officer and his family.

The presumed fatalities of ill-fated Lexus that completely burned down are Officer Mark Saylor, 45; his wife, Cleofe, 45; daughter, Mahala, 13; and brother-in-law, Chris Lastrella. According to the Medical Examiner's Office, only Mahala Saylor’s body has been positively identified as the victims' bodies were burned beyond recognition.

Saylor was reportedly driving a loaned 2009 ES 350 Lexus because his vehicle was dropped off for service. A 911 call was made, presumably by Saylor’s wife 2 minutes before the crash to report that the car's accelerator was stuck and they could not stop the vehicle. A witness reported that the car was going over 100 mph.

The Lexus then collided with a Ford Explorer and continued through the intersection where it hit a concrete curb and went through a picket fence before it hit a dirt embankment, which launched it into the air. The car rolled several times before it burst into flames on a dry patch of the San Diego River basin.

The sheriff's investigators as well as the CHP's Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team are currently investigating the crash. CHP Officer Brian Pennings has said that Saylor was an extremely competent and capable officer.

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