On Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at approximately 2:00 a.m., the Mississippi Highway Patrol responded to a fatal crash on Highway 49 in Stone County.

A 2016 Dodge Charger driven by 45-year-old Valerie Shanta Smith of Beaumont, MS, traveled north on Highway 49 when it collided with a 2013 Kia Optima driven by 18-year-old Kayla Watkins, and passengers Sedhari S. Watson-Person and Tatyanna Richmond, all from of Ocean Springs, MS, also traveling north on Highway 49.

Sedhari Watson-Person, a front-seat passenger of the Kia Optima, received fatal injuries from the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The drivers of both vehicles were airlifted from the scene with life-threatening injuries.

This crash remains under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol