LOS ANGELES – Today the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors July 7 approved a motion by Supervisor Janice Hahn to reestablish the county’s $20,000 reward in exchange for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of Octavio Montano Islas, who was identified as the drunk driver responsible for the deaths of 42-year-old Jose Palacios-Gonzalez and his three-year-old daughter Samantha Palacios as they slept in their apartment in the area of Artesia Boulevard and Rose Avenue in North Long Beach.
Around 10 p.m. on March 1, 2022, Long Beach Police Department officers responded to a collision of a vehicle into an apartment building. Jose Palacios-Gonzalez was declared deceased at the scene, while Samantha was rushed to a local hospital but later succumbed to her injuries. LBPD detectives identified the driver, who fled the scene, as Montano Islas, who was 24 years old at the time.
“Jose and Samantha’s loved ones have lived with the pain of this unimaginable loss for more than four years now, and still have not gotten justice. We are asking anyone who may have any information on where Octavio is or where he may have gone to please share it with detectives,” said Hahn. “We need your help.”
The vehicle that Montano Islas was driving was a 2014 Dodge Ram. Detectives believe Montano Islas was drunk at the time of the crash. An arrest warrant was issued for him on two counts of felony manslaughter, one count of felony driving under the influence, and one count of felony hit and run. The reward had previously been established at $10,000 until the Board approved a motion by Hahn to increase the amount to the current $20,000 in 2025.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Commander Paul Baum of the Long Beach Police Department special investigations division at 562-0570-7449.