3 days ago
$20K reward offered to find driver that killed toddler and father in Long Beach
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors increased the reward to find the hit-and-run driver who allegedly killed a 3-year-old and her father in 2022.
The deadly crash happened in North Long Beach on the night of March 1, 2022. Samantha Palacios, 3, and her father, Jose Palacios-Gonzalez, 42, were asleep in their apartment on the 6600 block of Rose Avenue when suspect Octavio Montano Islas slammed his 2014 Dodge Ram pickup truck through their wall.
The Long Beach Police Department said Montano Islas was drunk and driving away from a nearby bar. Initially, LA County offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of Montano Islas. Supervisor Janice Hahn increased the reward to $20,000 after it expired this year.
"Today Samantha would have been seven years old, possibly starting 2nd grade in a few weeks, had Octavio Montano Islas not brutally cut her life short. Nothing will fill the gap left by the deaths of Samantha and her dad Jose, but we need to find this driver and hold him accountable. Their families deserve justice," Hahn said.
Following the deadly collision, family members and supporters pleaded for justice and implored Montano Islas to turn himself in to the police.
"Nothing is going to return our loved ones, but Octavio Montano Islas has to pay for what he did," said mother Esnelia Palacios in 2023. "I ask you to please help us do justice."
Investigators described Islas as a 5-foot-8, 160-pound man with black hair and tattoos on his right forearm.
Authorities urged anyone with information to contact Scott Jenson of the Long Beach Police Department Detective Division at (562) 570-7218.
"To the suspect that took the lives of Jose and Samantha, know this: our officers will not be dissuaded by the passage of time," Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish said in 2023. "We will continue our investigation until we find and arrest you. You will be held accountable for the death of Jose and Samantha — and you will be held responsible for the subsequent pain you've caused by failing to turn yourself in."
