An East Texas tragedy has left one child dead as a result of a head-on collision. Krystle Medeiros of Tyler, age 38, faces intoxication manslaughter charges after she was purportedly driving under the influence on State Highway 64, colliding with a pickup truck and leading to the death of her 9-year-old daughter, Kylie Medeiros. As reported by KENS 5, she is now detained on a $100,000 bond in Smith County Jail.
Documents revealed that Medeiros was operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.35, drastically surpassing Texas's legal limit of 0.08. After the January 4 accident, she and her daughter were taken to a hospital, where a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper detected a "strong odor of alcoholic beverage" inside the SUV. Despite not finding any drinks in the car, the hospital staff confirmed that Medeiros had indeed been drinking. These details were brought to light in an arrest affidavit acquired by El Paso Inc.
Kylie's obituary, as described by KENS 5, remembered her as an imaginative and joyful child whose love for unicorns, rainbows, and the colors pink and purple illuminated the lives of those around her. She was a creative spirit, fond of coloring, and her memory will continue to be cherished endearingly.
A family friend, reflecting upon the circumstances that led to such heartbreak, told KENS 5, "She was mentally not stable. But she hid it very well. So people couldn't see. And she drowned herself with alcohol." This was not Medeiros' first encounter with the law regarding alcohol-related offenses; jail records indicate previous arrests for driving while intoxicated and public intoxication. In November 2021, she pled guilty to a DWI charge, receiving 20 months of probation and community service, as well as being enrolled in a DWI Repeat Offender Program.
