Parents of 9-Month-Old Son Who Were Planning to Get Married Among 3 College Friends Killed in Crash
Stillman College student Sieas Elliott and Stillman alumni Destiny Gardner and Varick Lawrence died in the crash, which is still under investigation by authorities
Gardner and Varick, parents to son Zaire, were planning to get married before the fatal crash, according to Varick's grandmotherThree friends, including parents of a 9-month-old boy, died in a car crash outside of Atlanta, authorities said.
The three victims of the crash were identified as Sieas Elliott, Destiny Gardner and Varick Lawrence by Stillman College, the Alabama school where 24-year-old Elliott was a current student and Gardner and Lawrence were alumni.
Clayton County Police said the crash happened on Friday, May 23, on Interstate 75 and Old Dixie Road in Forest Park, according to ABC affiliate WSB-TV.
The crash is still under investigation, according to the outlet. PEOPLE has contacted Clayton County Police for additional information.
"This is a terrible tragedy for everyone in our Stillman family," Stillman President Dr. Yolanda W. Page said in a statement. "The spirit of each of these proud Stillmanites will live on with all who were greeted by their warm smiles and welcoming personality."
"The entire Stillman College community mourns this heartbreaking loss," Page said. "We extend our sincere condolences to their families, friends, classmates, and teammates during this incredibly difficult time."
Lawrence and Gardner had a 9-month-old son named Zaire, according to WSB-TV. The local outlet also reported that the couple had plans to get married.
"We should be planning a wedding, not funerals," said Lawrence's grandmother, Dot Mitchell.
Lawrence played baseball and was a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity at Stillman, the college shared. After he graduated from Stillman in 2023, he worked as a baseball coach in the Atlanta area.
Gardner, who graduated from Stillman in 2022 with a degree in criminal justice, worked at the DeKalb Regional Youth Detention Center as a juvenile officer, according to Stillman, which said that both she and Lawrence "were deeply engaged with the Stillman family and broader community."
Elliot planned to return to Stillman for the 2025-2026 school year to finish his degree in early childhood education, according to a GoFundMe created to raise money for his memorial fund. He also worked as a student assistant baseball coach and, like Lawrence, was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
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Terrance Whittle, director of athletics at the college and former head baseball coach from 2018-2025, said in a statement shared by Stillman that he was "deeply saddened" by the deaths of Lawrence, Gardner and Elliot. He shared, "Their legacy will live on at Stillman through the relationships they formed while here."
"Personally my heart will forever mourn with the families as well as celebrate the lives of Varick and Sieas. I had the honor of having them as two of my hundreds of sons I have coached," Whittle added. "I will never forget the spirit and connectedness of heart and brotherhood they brought to my life and all those that walked with us."
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USA Today
14 minutes ago
- USA Today
Ex-gymnastics coach at prestigious Iowa academy arrested on child porn charges
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The gymnast, who was a minor at the time, reported Gardner would place and rub his hands in inappropriate places while helping young female gymnasts learn routines; ask them if they were sexually active; and use sexually degrading language about them. The initial reports were made to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, which passed on the reports to West Des Moines police. But Wade said the initial victim did not want to pursue prosecution, leaving the investigation "on hold" until a second gymnast came forward in April 2024. That victim, according to the FBI affidavit accompanying the Mississippi complaint, told police she believed Gardner had used his phone to record video of her while he made her perform inappropriate stretches, among other allegations. 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The congressionally chartered nonprofit aims to keep athletes safe by addressing and preventing sexual, physical, and emotional abuse within sports, according to the watchdog group's mission statement. In 2015, USA Gymnastics received multiple allegations of abuse against disgraced former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar from dozens of women and children. The allegations were later shared with the FBI, who in 2021 admitted to mishandling the investigation after the Justice Department Inspector General issued a 119-page report criticizing the bureau's Indianapolis field office. In 2018, Nassar, a former Michigan State University employee, pleaded guilty to 10 charges of sexual assault and was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison. If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline ( & Contributing: Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register
Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. student seized by immigration agents alleges they bragged of $1,500 arrest payment
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In 2022, a California lawsuit ended with a settlement that banned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials from using private contractors to arrest immigrants for deportation at state prisons and jails or upon their release from custody. The Homeland Security Department on Tuesday emphasized that Guerrero-Cruz is alleged to be in violation of federal immigration law. 'Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, an illegal alien from Chile, overstayed his visa by more than two years, abusing the Visa Waiver Program under which he entered the United States, which required him to depart the United States on March 15, 2023,' the department's statement said. A law firm representing the family declined to discuss the legal status of Guerrero-Cruz and his family, including the nature of their original paperwork to enter the country. The attorneys also did not discuss, what steps, if any, the family had taken to remain in the U.S. and how many members of the family are at risk for deportation. 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Guerrero-Cruz told Becerra thought it was safe enough to walk the dog on the morning of Friday, Aug. 8. He did not bother to get fully dressed, going outside in pajamas and slippers. But he was surprised, he said through Becerra, by the sudden appearance, at about 7:50 a.m., of about 15 men and about three SUVs near the corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and Clark Street in Van Nuys. They grabbed him and started calling him by a name he said he didn't recognize. He protested he was not the person they were looking for. They said they would have to fingerprint him to confirm his identity — something that he said never happened, according to Becerra. The youth also claims that the men did not identify themselves nor show a warrant. Several wore jackets that said 'immigration police.' A man removed the dog's collar and then stamped the ground until the dog ran away, Becerra said, recounting her conversation with the student. The account of what happened with the dog was verified Tuesday by a neighbor, Valerie T., who said she saw the end of the encounter and who later caught the dog and returned it to the family. Guerrero-Cruz told Becerra he did not recall any agency insignia worn by the men who took him and who talked about the $1,500. Later, however, these men met up with agents who clearly were identifiable by insignia of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Homeland Security responded broadly to details of the account from supporters of Guerrero-Cruz. 'The allegations about CBP officers are FALSE, and it is lies like these that are contributing violence against our officers,' the statement said. 'Our officers acted professionally throughout the encounter. Guerrero-Cruz tied the dog to a tree after his mother refused to come and retrieve it. Under normal conditions, CBP would be able to call animal control and wait for them to help, however because of the increase in assaults, obstruction of operations, and rhetoric (like the lie told here about their conduct) in the L.A. area they are unable to do this.' Except for an unexplained trip to a detention center in Santa Ana, Guerrero-Cruz was detained in downtown L.A. for the first week — which included last Thursday, when his classmates began the new school year. As related by Becerra, at the L.A. facility, Guerrero-Cruz had no choice but to remain in his pajamas and sandals unable to shower or brush his teeth for five days. In a small cell with five or six men, the only place with room to sleep was next to the toilet — and he had to move any time any one wanted to use it. Guerrero-Cruz was moved to Adelanto late Friday night and given clothes and was able to take a shower Saturday morning. He's in a four-person cell and sleeps in a bunk bed. 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A friend, identified as Ronny C., said in a statement that the young man's soccer team was devastated by his sudden disappearance: 'On the field, he was rock-solid — always showed up, worked hard, and could be counted on week after week. Off the field, he was just as reliable: kind, respectful, and someone who lifted up the people around him. He brought consistency, heart, and a quiet strength that made the team better in every way.' The youth also became active in the school's Navy ROTC program. 'He was really looking forward to graduating. Newcomers are some of hardest-working students I ever had,' Becerra said. 'The fact that he stayed in school — I was really proud of him. It's not easy to do that as a newcomer who doesn't speak English. 'It's heartbreaking to see him in there,' Becerra said. 'He's agitated. He doesn't want to be there obviously. He's very anxious and nervous. He was trying not to cry when I left.'
Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Newsweek
High Schooler Detained by ICE Couldn't Shower for a Week, Teacher Says
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. A Los Angeles teacher whose student was detained by federal agents while he walked his dog has told Newsweek that she believes mistaken bounty hunters plucked him off the street. Lizette Becerra, who works within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), visited Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz, 18, in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention on Sunday. "For about seven days, he could not change, he was in his pajama shorts and slippers. He couldn't bathe. He couldn't brush his teeth. He was sleeping next to a toilet where he had to wake up every time someone went so that he wouldn't get urinated on," Becerra said. "It wasn't until Saturday morning that he was finally able to shower and was issued clothes," she said, adding that he told her he lost weight, as well. Newsweek reached out to ICE for comment on Friday and Tuesday, but has yet to receive a response. Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz (left) is pictured with one of his siblings. Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz (left) is pictured with one of his siblings. GoFundMe Teen Was Arrested While Walking His Dog Guerrero-Cruz is currently being held in the Adelanto Detention Facility, on the edge of Victorville outside of L.A. Before that, Becerra said, he had been moved between two other facilities in the city itself since his arrest around two weeks ago. "He says about 15 men, plain clothes with vests that said: 'Immigration Police' on them, in three SUVs, came up to him and just grabbed him and started calling him by another name," Becerra said, adding that the teen tried to tell the men he was not the person they were looking for. The agents told him they needed to take him to be fingerprinted anyway, to confirm his identity, and took his dog. Becerra said she believed the men were bounty hunters of some kind, who had been looking for a different person but still took Guerrero-Cruz in. "These people had his dog, unclipped the dog and stomped at the floor so that it could run away. Eventually it did make it back," Becerra said. Guerrero-Cruz was taken to a post office parking lot, where he was held by the men before official ICE agents arrived and transferred him to federal custody. En route, he allegedly heard the agents bragging they would get paid at least $1,500 for his arrest and would drink well that night, Becerra said. A 'Funny, Sweet Kid' Guerrero-Cruz came to the L.A. area in 2023, Becerra told Newsweek, where he joined her class for newly arrived immigrants wanting to learn English. She taught him for five months before he headed to Reseda Charter High School, where he was due to start his senior year this past week. "He was a very memorable kid. I knew exactly who he was. He was a funny, sweet kid," the teacher said. "I remember that if we ever had independent work, a lot of times I had to pull up a chair right next to my desk because he just wanted to talk and so I would just hear him out." Becerra explained that many of the immigrant children she has worked with have some form of trauma or another, including separation from their parents and the difficulties of navigating life as an immigrant in the U.S. She said that she puts a lot of heart into her students and that she was heartbroken to hear of Guerrero-Cruz's arrest. "With everything going here going on here in Los Angeles, I kind of knew this day was going to come and I just was praying that it wasn't, and it did," she said. The Van Nuys community has rallied around the student, raising thousands via GoFundMe to help with legal costs and to support his mother and siblings. The LAUSD previously told Newsweek that it was committed to protecting every one of its students during heightened immigration enforcement in the city, and that safety measures had been heightened for the new school year. Becerra said that, as a teacher, her job had certainly changed from how it was before the summer break. While she would check her classroom exits for potential active shooters, now she is on the lookout for federal agents who might take one of her kids. "We as a school district and teachers at large are operating in a world where we assume that the law is still respected and that our rights are going to be respected, and, unfortunately, what's happening on the street is not the case," Becerra said.
