As his daughter’s first birthday approached, James Alvarez knew exactly who to call. The California dad had previously entrusted Grisel Leyva of X & V Photography with his daughter’s newborn photo session and believed she was the right person to capture her entrance into childhood.
Sadly, however, one person would be noticeably absent on the big day: James’ wife and Adalyn’s mother, Yesenia Alvarez. The 23-year-old mom-to-be was killed by a drunk driver in 2020 when she was eight months pregnant with Adalyn. Fortunately, Leyva was able to incorporate Yesenia’s beautiful portrait into the photos as a way to ensure that the loving memory of her lives on.
It happened around 7:30 p.m. on August 11, 2020, while the couple was walking down a residential street in Anaheim, California. At that time, they were anxiously awaiting the arrival of their little girl, who would be born on September 20. But in the blink of an eye, his dreams were shattered.
A Jeep driven by Courtney Pandolfi, 40, suddenly lost control and jumped the curb. Before they knew it, the truck was on the sidewalk, heading straight toward them.
According to police, the young mother was rushed to UC Irvine Medical Center, where doctors performed an emergency cesarean section to deliver her baby, named Adalyn Rose. Unfortunately, Yesenia’s injuries were too severe and her mother was pronounced dead shortly after.
In the wake of Yesenia’s death, it was revealed that Pandolfi had been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident and had multiple DUI arrests on his record. She was eventually charged with felony murder in connection with Yesenia’s death, although she pleaded not guilty.
Pandolfi received the maximum sentence of 15 years to life in prison on April 12, 2024, due to his three prior DUI convictions. The new father was seen encouraging her little girl to get stronger day by day and defy the odds that had suddenly been stacked against her, according to an NBC Los Angeles interview At the time.
“Come on, you can do it, you’re almost there,” Alvarez allegedly told Adalyn while she was recovering in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU. “I want my daughter to have the best life. And whatever she can do to fulfill it, I will do it.” Albarez stayed at her daughter’s bedside during her hospital stay and was overjoyed for her when she was finally allowed to return home in late August 2020. He has reportedly remained a devoted single father since then.
It took place on September 23, 2020, just three days after the little girl’s original due date. And the reason James specifically chose Leyva as his photographer? It turns out that he had photographed Yesenia for a maternity session just a month before her death. It was for that reason that baby Adalyn could be seen holding a photo of her late mother in a flowy maternity dress, an image that quickly went viral after Leyva shared it on her Facebook page.