Three young softballplayers and their mother killed while returning from vacation

A deep sense of loss coursed through a Menifee community as many stood by candlelight and remembered three young softball players and their mother.

Olivia, 12, Emmalynn, 11, Gianna, 8, and their mother Karly Perez died while returning home from a road trip.

“Sometimes you feel like you’re going to get through it and other times you have a hole in your heart that you just can’t explain,” grandfather Stephan Grande said.

The girl’s grandparents said the community’s outpouring of love made them feel supported and helped them contain their emotions.

“You know you have all this support and it makes a big difference,” Grande said.

The family was returning from Texas when they slowed down in a construction zone on an Arizona freeway. The family, including Perez’s friend and her son, were rear-ended by a truck hauling asphalt.

“My sister was full of life and stronger than me,” Perez’s brother said.

The girls’ uncle said he’ll always remember how their spunky little personalities made everyone feel.

“I’m going to miss the way Gianna said she was smarter than me because she read and I didn’t,” he said. “I’m going to miss Emmalyn’s artistic abilities and dance moves she always wanted to show me. And how about Olivia’s TikToks every single morning while getting ready for school? Most of all, I’m going to miss their smiles and how they made me feel great about myself.”

The Perez family is raising money to help the girls’ father with the unexpected costs of their burial. The softball community the girls were in has already lent a helping hand.

“Their pictures are never coming off the walls,” Grande said. “They’ll always be in our hearts.”