A Texas mom and her seven-year-old son were killed in their bedroom when a teenage driver smashed their vehicle into the family's home.
Gracie Yates, 18, has been charged with two counts of criminally negligent homicide after the deaths of victims 49-year-old Barbara Rocha and her young son, Alex Aaron Rocha.
Authorities say the incident occurred during the early morning hours of Sunday on the 200 block of North Ollie Street in Stephenville, a town situated roughly 100 miles southwest of Dallas.
The Stephenville Police Department reported that a vehicle “left the roadway” at approximately 3:26 a.m. and struck the residence. The impact sent the car through the exterior wall and into the bedroom where the mother and son were located.
“Upon arrival, emergency personnel located multiple individuals with injuries,” the release stated. “They were transported to Texas Health Resources Stephenville by the Stephenville Fire Department and Erath County EMS.”
Raul Rocha, the older son of Barbara, spoke with FOX affiliate KDFW about the moments following the crash. While Raul was not at home at the time, his other brother, who was present but uninjured, described the scene.
“All I heard is a crash, I went in the room, and all you can hear is my little brother screaming and my mom praying,” Rocha told KDFW his brother said.
“That’s what I have stuck in the back of my head right now, my little brother screaming and my mom praying.”
Despite intensive life-saving efforts by medical staff, both victims were pronounced dead, police said.
Following the incident, Yates was taken into custody and booked into the Erath County Jail. Records reviewed by Law & Crime show she faces two counts of criminally negligent homicide.
While the police have not officially cited intoxication as a factor in the crash, a GoFundMe page established by a friend of the family claims the tragedy was the result of a “drunk driver.” The fundraiser notes that the husband and father of the victims, Alfredo Rocha, is now facing an "unimaginable loss."
“Alfredo is now without a house and is struggling to cover the funeral costs for his wife and son,” the fundraiser states. “Alfredo and his family are good people who did not deserve to have this tragedy happen to them because of a drunk driver.”
Yates was reportedly released from jail on Tuesday after a judge set her bond at $14,500.
“I never imagined losing my mom,” Raul Rocha told KDFW. “My mom does not deserve this. She was so sweet.
“She always cared about us. She cared about anybody around her.”
He also spoke of the deep loss of his younger brother, whom he will never see grow up.
“The thing I’m going to miss, whenever I go visit, he comes up and hugs me and says, ‘I missed you,’” Raul told KDFW. “I’m never going to get that again.”
Local authorities have not released further details regarding the cause of the crash or whether anyone else was inside Yates’ vehicle at the time of the crash. The investigation remains ongoing.
