A Texas man has been arrested nearly two weeks after a tragic car accident claimed the lives of five women who were celebrating a birthday trip.
On July 25, five women in their early 20s were driving in an SUV when a pickup truck towing a livestock trailer allegedly crossed into oncoming traffic on U.S. 281 in Burnet County around 6 p.m., according to CBS News Texas, ABC affiliate KVUE and FOX affiliate KTBC.
The pickup first collided with a Chevy Malibu before crashing into the Mercedes SUV. The impact caused the SUV to overturn and catch fire, resulting in the deaths of all five passengers. The Texas Department of Public Safety has identified the victims as Thalia Salinas, Ruby Cruz, Brianna Valadez, Desiree Cervantez, and Jacqueline Velazco, as reported by KVUE and KTBC.
Kody Lane Talley, 37, was taken into custody on Tuesday, August 5, according to KTBC. Talley, a resident of Leander and owner of the 2018 Ram truck involved in the crash, has been charged with five counts of manslaughter and is currently held at Burnet County Jail.
As of August 7, the DPS had not responded to requests for additional details, and it remains unknown whether Talley has secured legal representation.
The women had been on a weekend getaway to Kingsland to celebrate Salinas’ 23rd birthday. In a statement to CBS News, Salinas’ family shared that they had been close friends since middle school.
“Words can’t describe how devastated we are,” the family said. “We were on our way to celebrate Thalia’s birthday in Kingsland, Texas, at her favorite place — on the lake — with all her favorite people. Then we received the heartbreaking news of the girls’ passing in the worst accident imaginable. We will never recover from losing Thalia, Brianna, Ruby, Jackie, and Desi.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(756x0:758x2):format(webp)/Thalia-Salinas-Ruby-Cruz-Brianna-Valadez-Desiree-Cervantez-Jacqueline-Velazco-Ventura-080725-643d32535e654b558e5e6ce0fde8eb8f.jpg)
A family member also posted on Facebook, describing the deaths as a “sudden and very tragic passing” and expressing deep gratitude for the outpouring of love and support received during this difficult time.
Several GoFundMe campaigns have been created for the victims. The Salinas family revealed that Thalia had recently become an aunt and described her as “witty, intelligent, loyal, and the true manager of our household, always keeping us all in line.”
“She was an amazing daughter, sister, niece, aunt, granddaughter, coworker, and friend to so many who loved her,” the campaign read. “She was full of life, and this loss has left a void that can never be filled.”
The family of Brianna Valadez, who was preparing to start nursing school, shared on GoFundMe that they are “navigating a pain that words can’t truly express.”
“We will carry Bri’s light with us always, and we will keep telling her story — because she deserves to be remembered for how brightly she lived.”
Custom hearts bearing the names of the five women have been placed at the crash site, as shown in footage by KTBC. The Texas Department of Public Safety has confirmed that the investigation into the accident remains ongoing, according to CBS News.
