CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) — Loved ones of Martha Hernandez and her 9-year-old son Adrian came together in Old Town Clovis Tuesday night for a vigil to mourn the two killed the day after Easter.<\/p>\n
The mother and son were killed in a deadly hit-and-run crash in central Fresno, which sent their car into a canal.<\/p>\n
“She’s a beautiful soul, and it does bring me peace knowing she’s with the Lord now and so is her baby,” says Hernandez’s coworker.<\/p>\n
Where there was once a busy nail station, now lie flowers.<\/p>\n
Clinging to one another, family, coworkers, and clients of Martha Hernandez or ‘Miss Patty’ filled Chosen Salon in Old Town Clovis.<\/p>\n
The beloved nail artist and mother lost her life along with her nine-year-old son, Adrian, in a deadly hit-and-run crash the morning after Easter.<\/p>\n
“I would come in and we would just talk. She would know what words to say. She loved her boys. Her boys were her everything,” says Hernandez’s client.<\/p>\n
“She just wanted to make everybody feel beautiful. I know that, even though she’s not here with us, I feel her presence,” says Hernandez’s coworker.<\/p>\n
The mother and her son were driving home from an Easter celebration with family when police say an SUV ran a red light and crashed into their car, sending them into the Dry Creek Canal.<\/p>\n
Nine-year- old Adrian was a beloved student at Tarpey Elementary. His teachers remembered him as bright and kind.<\/p>\n
“My fondest memory of him is doing an art project with him, and it’s a dream door, and what was inside his dream door was him and his mom and saying that his dream was to always be with his mom,” says Adrian’s teacher.<\/p>\n
Clinging to a blue teddy bear, a little boy handed it to Hernandez’s older son, Michael, a high school senior now set to graduate without his mother. The teen stood alongside his aunt and grandparents.<\/p>\n
The family, surrounded by support.<\/p>\n
“She was dedicated to God, she was dedicated to her family, she was a great sister. She was a good friend. She was an amazing counselor. We never expected something like this to happen, but we pray that God will bring justice,” says Hernandez’s sister.<\/p>\n
Loved ones lit candles just hours after the suspect turned himself in to the Fresno County Jail.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Driver turns himself in following canal crash that killed mother and son in central Fresno: PD<\/a><\/p>\n Police say 22-year-old Timothy Chavez was the driver who ran from the crash.<\/p>\n ABC30 legal analyst Tony Capozzi says he could face charges of vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run, driving with a suspended license, and without insurance.<\/p>\n “Turning himself in is always good. Running away is not a good idea unless there may be some circumstances you’re trying to avoid,” says Capozzi.<\/p>\n As the memorial at the crash site continues to grow and tributes pour in, police continue their investigation.<\/p>\n “People innocent, minding their own business, coming home from Easter Sunday with their family, hit by what appears to be a drunk driver is an absolute tragedy on every level,” says Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto.<\/p>\n Clovis Unified tells Action News it will provide additional emotional support to the community at Tarpy Elementary.<\/p>\n The family has set up a GoFundMe; you can find a link here<\/a>.<\/p>\n For news and weather updates, follow Brisa Col\u00f3n on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n