What happened to the bodies of 2 Guatemalan’s killed in 2022 car accident in Georgia?

• Candelaria Ich and Marcelino Tzalam were killed in a car accident.
• They were both from Guatemala.
• Candelaria left behind 8 children.

In February 2022, Candelaria Ich and Marcelino Tzalam, both natives of Guatemala, lost their lives in a traffic accident.

According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, a 2011 Ford Fusion rear-ended the 2000 Honda Accord they were riding in.

Russell Denham, a 53-year-old resident of Eatonton, Georgia was responsible for the collision. The other car was driven by José Choc Tzi.

To this day, some still wonder whether their bodies were returned to family in Guatemala.

Candelaria Ich and Marcelino Tzalam were killed

According to La Visión Web, José José Choc Tzi stopped his car before turning onto Union Chapel Road — Ich and Tzalam were in the back seat.

Candelaria Ich, 48, was declared dead at the scene, while Marcelino Tzalam, 34, died in the hospital.

José Choc Tzi and Russell Denham were transported to Putnam General Hospital with minor injuries.

Ich left behind eight children who wanted to repatriate both bodies to their native Guatemala.

Candelaria’s son demands justice

In an interview with Prensa Atlanta, Dario Ich, Candelaria Ich’s son, demanded justice for the deaths of his loved ones.

He and his siblings were at the Atlanta Mortuory Service funeral home to identify the bodies of their relatives that were killed in Georgia.

Francisco Aguirre Arancibia, a Spanish teacher, offered to help because, in addition to not speaking English, they also do not speak Spanish.

«The truth has been a limitation in being able to communicate with them, but the community has responded and helped,» he shared.

The family of Candelaria Ich is grateful for support they have received

According to Univision, relatives of Candelaria Ich and Marcelino Tzalam expressed gratitude for the support they received after this tragedy.

Aguirre Arancibia set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds so their bodies could be repatriated back to Guatemala.

It is worth noting that Candelaria left behind eight children.

Two of her children were in the U.S. at the time of the crash. Darío, 25, and Karen, 15. Francisco Aguirre teaches at the high school Karen attends.

What happened to the man who caused the car accident?

Russell Denham, 53, was found to be liable for the accident.

He surrendered to authorities on February 2, 2022 and faced two charges of second-degree vehicular manslaughter.

He also faced a charge of following too closely, although he was released after posting a bond of nearly $4,000.

José Choc Tzi was charged with driving without a license. He paid a bond of almost $1,800.

What is involved in repatriating a family member?