(Image Credit: IMAGN)
SAN DIEGO, CA – The family of 65-year-old Monica Cameroni De Adams is demanding answers and accountability from the San Diego Police Department after her heavily decomposed body was discovered in her totaled minivan a month after a drunk driving collision. De Adams, who was experiencing homelessness, was found on December 6, 2023, in the middle seat of her 2001 Honda Odyssey at the Allied Gardens Tow Company, where it had been stored since a November 5th crash.
According to a legal claim filed by De Adams’ family, she was sleeping in her parked van on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard when it was rear-ended by a drunk driver, Jordan Lopez. The family alleges that San Diego Police officers, including Officer Matthew Brace, failed to properly check the vehicle for occupants after the collision. Instead, the severely injured De Adams was left inside, and her van was towed to the tow yard.
The incident began in the early morning hours of November 5th when officers responded to a collision involving Lopez, who was driving a white Hyundai. According to the collision investigation obtained by CBS 8, Lopez admitted to having consumed four beers and told Officer Brace he had made an “oopsie.” He was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence.
Officer Brace’s report states that officers attempted to contact the registered owners of the damaged vehicles but were unsuccessful. He then authorized the towing of the vehicles, citing concerns about vandalism and theft. The family’s legal claim asserts that neither Officer Brace nor any other officer checked the vehicles for occupants before they were towed.
As the days passed, De Adams’ family grew increasingly concerned. When she failed to respond to birthday messages on November 13th, her daughter, Natalia Danielle Cameroni-Adams, filed a missing persons report.
On December 6th, a tow yard employee investigating a foul odor discovered De Adams’ remains. The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s report described her skeleton as visible and her face unrecognizable due to decomposition. The autopsy revealed “multiple and extensive” rib fractures, a spinal fracture, and a compound fracture in her right upper arm, all consistent with blunt force trauma. The Medical Examiner ruled her death an accident caused by the injuries sustained in the crash.
The family alleges that they were not provided with the Medical Examiner’s report until October 16, 2024, nearly a year after their mother’s death. They suspect she was left trapped and died in the tow yard.
Jordan Lopez has since agreed to a plea deal, facing six years in prison and five years of probation. His attorney argued that De Adams was likely alive after the crash and died afterward, which bypassed charges of vehicular manslaughter. Lopez’s sentencing is scheduled for March 20th.
De Adams’ family is now seeking answers and accountability from the San Diego Police Department for what they believe was a fatal oversight. They are questioning why officers failed to check the vehicles for occupants, a decision they say resulted in their mother’s preventable death.
