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SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office dismissed the case against a man who was accused of hitting and killing a mother and daughter in Big Cottonwood Canyon while driving under the influence.
On Aug. 17, 44-year-old Brandilee Chacon was on a camping trip with her daughter Sierra to celebrate her 16th birthday.
They were sleeping in the covered bed of a truck in a designated parking area in Big Cottonwood Canyon, when just before 3 a.m. the driver of a Chevrolet Malibu veered off the road and smashed into them.
Sierra was thrown from the truck and died at the scene. Her mother died a month later in the hospital, leaving behind a husband and young son.
Initial charging documents showed four people were inside the Malibu that crashed into them.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against a man in October.
Now they say they had the wrong guy.
In a statement, the D.A.’s office said, “Based upon information we had at the time of filing, we believed that Mr. Castillo was responsible for the accident. Additional information shows that he was not the at fault driver in this case, but another individual will be charged imminently. Everyone is entitled to a presumption until proven guilty.”
