SAN ANTONIO – Natalie Garza said she can still hear her sister’s laugh, even one year after her death.
“We feel emptiness,” Garza said. “She didn’t think that was going to be her last night alive.”
Yulissa Valero, 26, died on Jan. 13, 2024, in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 35.
Two other people were in Valero’s car. At the scene, San Antonio police said that another car hit them head-on. SAPD arrested the driver of that vehicle on suspicion of driving while intoxicated/intoxication assault, police said.
Garza said she’s speaking up to change the statistics.
“I feel like a lot of people don’t understand how careless it can be,” Garza said.
In 2024, SAPD reported there were a total of 4,333 DWI arrests. That’s down from the reported 4,732 reported in 2023. Since the start of 2025, 24 people have been arrested for DWI.
SAPD said the total arrests for December of 2024 and January of 2025 could change as cases are further processed.
In 2024, SAPD said there were a total of 1,334 DWI crashes.
Garza said she wants drivers to hear her sister’s story and make better decisions.
“It’s been a hard year for us,” Garza said. “But now that she’s not here, I feel like I have to be her voice to continue fighting for the right thing.”
As the family continues to grieve, they have set up a memorial for Valero at her gravesite, a place to honor and remember her life. They’re currently fundraising to get her a headstone.
