CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — For John Lightfoot, becoming a grandfather again was a source of immense joy.
“The joy of going to sonograms, seeing the images of the baby, buying things for the child… my daughter and son-in-law’s excitement in getting ready for him, all those things,” Lightfoot said.
That joy turned to heartbreak six months ago, in March, when his grandson, Messiah James Oliva, died before birth following a head-on collision on the 4400 block of Violet Road in Annaville.
“I held him for maybe 20 minutes … a lifeless child in my arms,” Lightfoot recalled.
Lightfoot’s daughter, 27-year-old Amy Lopez, was 23 weeks pregnant and driving her Mercedes. Her husband, Mark Oliva, was in the passenger seat. Authorities say 26-year-old Alexis Rios was driving a Nissan when she crossed into their lane and hit them head-on.
Rios admitted she had been drinking before the crash. A passenger in her vehicle, 26-year-old Justin Buentello, was also killed.
Lopez is now relearning how to walk. Oliva still needs additional surgeries. Both were left permanently disabled from the accident. But the family says what hurts even more is the silence from the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office.
Lighfoot says the D.A.'s office told the family to call for updates, now he says, they get no response.
“I don’t know why they are holding this. They have everything they need — police reports, toxicology, and witness statements,” Lightfoot said.
The D.A.'s office told KRIS 6 News the case remains under investigation and that felony cases can take months to reach a grand jury.
“It’s been six months… you get away with killing somebody and go home. That’s not what it’s about. Accountability is what it’s about,” Lightfoot said.
He said his daughter was conscious after the crash.
“All she could say was, ‘What about my baby?’” he recalled tearing up.
Now, a roadside memorial marks the site where Messiah died — a place where Lightfoot mourns a life lost and waits for justice.
“This is all I have. I don’t have pictures. I don’t have memories,” he said.
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