‘Great sadness': Man killed in crash while driving to scene of fiancée's fatal crash, leaving behind 4-year-old son
**Related Video Above: OSHP traffic stats 2024
EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, La. (WJW) — A couple who planned to get married next year and shared a 4-year-old son died early Friday morning in two separate vehicle crashes on the same highway, the Louisiana State Police said in a news release.
According to local TV station WAFB 9, 35-year-old John 'JR' Collins was on his way to the scene of a crash involving his 25-year-old fiancée Alexus Lee on LA 67 when he was also in a vehicle crash.
Multiple people on board small plane that crashed in San Diego neighborhood are dead: authorities
Authorities were called to the crash involving Lee, who was driving a Toyota Highlander, around 2 a.m. in East Baton Rouge Parish.
'For reasons still under investigation, the Toyota exited the roadway to the left, struck a culvert, and overturned,' troopers said in the release. She was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene.
Trooper were also called to a stretch of LA 67 in East Feliciana Parish around 3:45 a.m. for reports of a single-vehicle crash. An initial investigation showed Collins was driving a Camaro at a 'high rate of speed,' when the vehicle missed a curve, went off the road and hit a tree.
He too was pronounced dead at the scene, according to state police.
Neither of the drivers were wearing a seat belt, state police reported. Troopers said they took routine toxicology samples at both scenes.
Lee, who was a teacher at East Feliciana Public Schools, was remembered in a tribute from the district:
'It is with great sadness we inform you that Ms. Alexus Lee, 2017 graduate of East Feliciana High School and teacher at East Feliciana STEAM Academy, passed away this morning,' the post said. 'Please join us in wrapping Ms. Lee's family in prayer and love during this difficult time.'
New Orleans jail worker thought he was unclogging toilet, not helping 10 escape: Lawyer
Sandra Collins, JR's mother, told WAFB 9 that the couple's son Gabriel is being cared for by family.
'He understands what happened, and he's just having a little problem comprehending that we can't talk to them. We can't see them, but he understands that they are asleep and are with God,' she said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
British woman accused of drug offences appears in Sri Lanka court
A British woman accused of attempting to smuggle a large quantity of cannabis into Sri Lanka has appeared in court in the country. Charlotte May Lee, 21, from south London, was arrested earlier this month after authorities allegedly found 46kg of the drug in her suitcases when she arrived on a flight from Thailand. She has not yet been charged, but has previously denied knowing the alleged drugs were in her luggage. If found guilty, she could face up to 25 years behind bars. Speaking to the BBC from prison before her court appearance, Ms Lee said she had travelled from Bangkok to the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo to renew her Thai visa. The former flight attendant arrived at Negombo Magistrate's Court on Friday wearing a white knee-length dress, her long hair parted to the side. She was making a procedural court appearance while the investigation into her alleged offences continues. Ms Lee was held in a cell at the back of the courtroom before being brought to the witness box. She was visibly upset as she stood with her hands crossed behind her back, facing the magistrate. Authorities wheeled in a large brown box containing the alleged 46kg of cannabis found in Ms Lee's luggage. The narcotics division of the Sri Lanka police told the court they intend to file an update on the investigation. Ms Lee's lawyer, Sampath Perera, asked if the alleged drugs had been examined by the relevant government authorities to ascertain if the materials were in fact an illegal substance. The magistrate ordered it to be tested and for a report to be submitted to the court as soon as possible. Speaking to the BBC from a prison an hour outside of Colombo, Ms Lee appeared to be in good spirits. She described her living conditions, saying she shares a cell with five other women and sleeps on a thin mattress on the concrete floor, using whatever clothes she has as a pillow. That is where she spends most of her day, she said, although she does get to go outside for fresh air. "I can't compare it to anything," she said. "I have never been to prison and I've never been to Sri Lanka. This heat and just sitting on a concrete floor all of the time." Ms Lee said she tries not to dwell too much on her current predicament. "I am not trying to think about it. If I think, then I feel bad. I'll still rather not process it." Ms Lee said she is concerned for the other women who are also in prison. "There are people from so many different countries who have been here for two years, two-and-a-half years. And it's still just waiting and no-one actually knows anything." She has managed to find other English-speaking women with whom she has developed a kinship. But she has not been able to speak with her family since her arrest. Speaking to the BBC from outside the courthouse after the hearing, Mr Perera said the next step is to make a bail application for Ms Lee, which could take three months. Under Sri Lankan law, people being held on remand must appear before a judge every 14 days. Ms Lee is being held on suspicion of keeping illegal drugs in her possession and drug smuggling. Her next court appearance will be on 13 July. Additional reporting by Charlotte Scarr
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Picture of S.Korean politician 'supporting rival' is doctored
"Mr. Hong Joon-pyo, I'm disappointed. Go ahead and live together with others," reads a Korean-language Facebook post shared on May 29, 2025. The phrase "together with others" is wordplay on the Democratic Party's Korean name "Deobureo Minjudang". The first word means "together with" while the second means "Democratic Party". Hong, a five-term lawmaker, ran for president in 2017 but lost to Democratic Party nominee Moon Jae-in. He made another bid in 2022, but Yoon was chosen instead as the presidential candidate at the People Power Party (PPP) primary. After resigning as mayor of southeastern Daegu city earlier this year for another run for the presidency, he was again defeated and quit the party, departing for Hawaii (archived link). The post features a screenshot from messaging app KakaoTalk that includes an image of Hong apparently wearing a white jacket printed with "Lee Jae-myung now" and "1" -- Lee's candidate number. "A photo showing Hong Joon-pyo in the United States wearing a campaign outfit for candidate Lee Jae-myung," an accompanying message reads. Text overlaid on the image reads: "This beast? A person?! A dog?" South Korea will hold a snap presidential election on June 3 triggered by Yoon's disastrous martial law declaration, with the two-day early voting period beginning five days prior (archived link). All major polls have placed Lee as the clear frontrunner in the race, with conservative ex-labour minister Kim Moon-soo of the PPP trailing far behind (archived here and here). The picture of Hong sporting a pro-Lee slogan circulated across platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, X and Threads. "The face of a human, but the heart of a beast. How can you be like this? Traitor to the conservatives. Quit politics," a misled user wrote in a comment. Another said: "Hong Joon-pyo, why are you so petty and sly. Good luck getting along with Lee Jae-myung." The image, however, is edited; Hong's jacket did not show a political message in the original photo. A reverse image search on Google revealed Hong posted the photo featuring him and his wife on Facebook on May 15 (archived link). He added that the picture was taken at the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island. While in Hawaii, Hong has remained active on Facebook. At one point, he changed the colour of his tie in his profile picture to blue -- the symbolic colour of the Democratic Party -- before switching it back to the PPP's colour red (archived here and here). This prompted speculation he might switch sides and join the rival camp, but he later rejected such rumours and expressed support for Kim, according to local news reports (archived here and here). AFP has previously debunked misinformation surrounding the upcoming presidential election in South Korea.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
2 drivers go 127 mph; state troopers catch vehicles going almost double the speed limit
Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) troopers recently stopped two vehicles going well over the speed limit. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] State troopers from the Hamilton Post stopped two vehicles traveling 127 mph in a 65-mph zone in Butler County. TRENDING STORIES: Steeple collapses after fire rips through historic Catholic church Funeral services announced for sheriff's deputy shot, killed in line of duty US Marshals take 1 in custody after nearly 12-hour standoff OSHP posted a photo of one of the traffic stops on social media. It showed the trooper stopped a car for going almost double the speed limit. 'Since the beginning of the year, troopers have cited more than 3,600 people for going 30+ mph over the limit,' said OSHP. 'Stay safe and follow the posted speed limit.' State troopers have also asked drivers to slow down. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
