Aurora man charged with DUI after crash kills 71-year-old Geneva woman

An Aurora man faces driving under the influence and other charges in connection with a head-on crash Saturday that killed a 71-year-old Geneva woman and critically injured her son, authorities said.

Christian Mares, 40, is charged with reckless homicide, two counts of aggravated DUI causing death, two counts of aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm and two counts of aggravated DUI for driving without insurance, according to Geneva police.

Mares, of the 1100 block of New Haven Avenue, also faces a charge of aggravated use of a communication device causing death, operation of an uninsured motor vehicle causing bodily harm and other offenses, police said.

The crash occurred at about 9:13 p.m. Saturday in the 1000 block of South Randall Road, officials said.

According to police, Mares was driving a 2013 Chevrolet Camaro north on Randall Road when the car veered over the double yellow line into southbound traffic, where it collided with a 2019 Nissan Versa driven by the Geneva woman.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Her 26-year-old son, of Essexville, Michigan, was rushed to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva and then airlifted to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital in Chicago with life-threatening injuries, police said.

Mares was treated at Delnor then taken to the Kane County jail, where he remains in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Monday afternoon.

The identity of the woman is being withheld pending family notification.

Geneva police, the Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team, the Kane County state’s attorney’s office and the Kane County coroner’s office continue to investigate the crash.

A portion of Randall Road from Kaneville/Keslinger roads to Fargo Boulevard was closed until 3:10 a.m. Sunday as police investigated the crash scene.