Victim's family searches for drunk driver
By Kris Middaugh/Staff Writer
It's a wound that sometimes seems to be mending, but never truly heals.
And on certain dates, March 9 - the date of her son's birth, and Oct. 4, - the day he died, for instance, the gash in the fabric of Stephanie Selby's life is reopened, and the overwhelming pain of having lost her oldest son at the hands of a drunk driver returns.
Gary Selby Jr. was just 18 when he died in 1992. A fun-loving young man - a "gentle giant" some friends said - Gary and his best friend Troy were about to head home after watching a BMX bicycle race in Reno that day in October, but they decided to offer a ride home to two girls they had met at the races.
That simple gesture put Gary in the wrong place at exactly the wrong time, for as the teenagers drove down Interstate 80 - with Gary at the wheel, Troy in the front passenger seat and the two girls in the back - a drunk driver traveling in the opposite direction suddenly careened into oncoming traffic.
Some cars swerved out of the path of the lurching Ford Renegade, but it seemed to appear out of nowhere to the occupant's of Gary's car, and in that same instant of awareness of what was happening, the two vehicles collided in an explosion of glass, steel, and young lives.
Gary died instantly. Troy and the girls were hurt badly, but recovered. The driver of the Ford, Samuel Avalos Gallardo, had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit and was arrested at the scene. Police soon found Gallardo not only didn't have a driver's license, he was also in the United States illegally.
Although torn apart by the death of their son, the Selbys at least felt they had some closure to the tragedy when Gallardo received a 20-year sentence for Gary's death and 10 years each for the severe bodily injury caused to the two girls.
But almost unbelievably, only six months later, just as the Selby's torn and traumatized lives began to heal, the Nevada Department of Corrections mistakenly placed Gallardo on a minimum security work detail ... and never saw him again.
The Selbys learned their son's killer had walked away from prison several days after the escape. And surprisingly, the news came not from Nevada prison officials, but from a Nevada member of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) who had happened to see in the story of the escape in a local newspaper.
Stephanie Selby says the information was almost too much for her to take.
"We thought he (Gallardo) got what he deserved, then to be slapped in the face with him just walking off ... it was just so hard."
Stephanie says the news of Gallardo's escape overwhelmed her, and left her feeling helpless. Not so Stephanie's sister Holly Bayol who says what welled up inside of her was not powerlessness, but outrage.
"I was so upset," said Bayol. "I went to my nephew's grave and I promised him I would not rest until he (Gallardo) was back in prison."
Bayol's nearly decade-long efforts received a major boost last year when she purchased a home computer. Buoyed by the prospect of reaching millions of people via the Internet, Bayol quickly launched a Web site memorializing Gary and advertising the family's quest to see his killer put back behind bars.
Now, though it has been almost nine years since Gallardo escaped, Bayol says she is confident he is living in the United States and will eventually be caught.
"I'm positive he is back in the States," said Bayol. "I think it's about time he's brought back to jail where he belongs."
For almost two years not, Bayol and her sister have hoped their work to see Gallardo return to prison might be aided by the popular television show, America's Most Wanted.
But, although the show's producers seemed to show an initial interest in airing the Selbys' story, officials have since said they generally do not broadcast drunk driving cases.
That attitude also outrages Bayol.
"I feel in my heart that this guy who killed my nephew is just as bad as those guys who kill with guns," she said.
Through her Web site (which can be reached by entering "Gary Selby Jr." in any major search engine) Bayol has recently encouraged readers to e-mail America's Most Wanted officials concerning Gary's story. And although recently contacted by the show's executive producer, Tom Morris, Jr., who again said the program would not air a drunk driving story, Bayol says she will not give up.
"All I want is for him (Gallardo) to pay for what he's done," she said.
This week, as the Selby family paused to remember what would have been Gary's 27th birthday, Holly Bayol continued her quest while her sister Stephanie, simply tried to cope with the hurt that won't go away.
"It's very tough," said Stephanie, "but you have to go on ... you have to."
Stephanie says part of the reason she is able to go on is the support of her husband, Gary Sr., and her other son - Gary's younger brother - Dennis. Dennis is married and has two young sons of his own, Andrew, 4, and Alexander, 9 months. Bayol says the boys will grow up not knowing their uncle Gary in person, but will definitely know him in spirit.
"We tell them about their uncle Gary," Bayol said. "We tell them he is up in heaven watching them."
The memories of Gary, how he loved to participate in motocross with his dad, was always eager to help his mom with errands, and was happy to just hang out with friends, are what have allowed the members of the Selby family to mend their hearts as well as they have.
But in some ways, the wound is still fresh; and it's unlikely to ever heal completely while Samuel Avalos Gallardo is a free man.
"It's just not right that he is able to go anywhere and do anything," said Bayol. "All I want is for him to pay for what he's done."
Stephanie Selby, who calls her sister's efforts on behalf of Gary, "awesome" says she is optimistic about the Gallardo's eventual return to prison.
"I think this is the year we'll find him," she said. "And we'll be there the day he's caught ... and he will be caught."
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