Dos Palos man claims hit and run driver killed his wife, investigators believe he's responsible

DOS PALOS, Calif. (KFSN) -- A cross and flowers off of a rural road are a painful reminder of loss for Anthony Valencia as he goes into the new year.

"I lost my friend. I lost everything," Valencia said. "My wife died in my arms that day."

Valencia's wife, Esmerelda, was killed on August 4, 2019.

He says they were both on his motorcycle around 9:00 that night, driving near Arroyo Ave and Linden street near Dos Palos.

It was at the intersection that Valencia says a car cut him off and caused the deadly crash.

"He was at the stop sign, but he just jumped in front of me to where I didn't have any time to react, I went one way my wife went another way," he said.

Valencia injured his leg, but his wife died. He claims the other driver sped away from the scene.

Investigators, however, say they found some debris on the roadway, but not enough to determine if there was an impact, so they're filing vehicular manslaughter charges against Valencia himself.

"He was stating someone may have pulled out in front of him. We cant corroborate that because we inspected the motorcycle," said CHP Officer Shannon Stiers. "There didn't seem to be any damage in the wheel, or the forks. We don't have any follow-ups and leads on anyone else that may have caused this crash. So right now, he's facing charges."

The report is now with the Merced County District Attorney's Office, and it'll be up to them on whether they file charges.