On Tuesday, December 5, 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, was killed in the crash. She was pronounced dead on 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.