A Louisiana family is grieving but attempting to rally around a four-year-old child whose mother was recently murdered in a car accident and whose father died in a separate vehicle wreck while attempting to reach her.
Gabriel, the son of Alexus Lee and John “JR” Collins, “understands what happened,” his paternal grandma, Sandra Collins, told Louisiana’s WAFB TV station. “And he just doesn’t understand why we can’t communicate to his parents. We can’t see them, but he knows they’re asleep and with God.
Gabriel’s inability to comprehend has spread far beyond his state after news broke that his mother lost control of her sports utility vehicle on May 16, flipped, and was killed after colliding with a culvert alongside a road in Zachary, which is just north of Louisiana’s capital, Baton Rouge. Investigators called Collins to alert him of Lee’s incident; while driving to the scene, he collided with a tree, was ejected, and died in Clinton, some 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Zachary, according to WAFB. Neither wore a seatbelt.
Those who knew the engaged pair were startled to learn of their deaths, which occurred hours apart and just months before their scheduled wedding in February 2026.
Lee had recently graduated from Southern University in Baton Rouge and taught in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school, while Collins worked as a truck driver. They had purchased a new home.
The couple’s surviving then got a “overwhelming outpouring of love, prayers, and messages from friends, loved ones, and even strangers, many [who] have asked how they can help,” according to a note put on the website of a GoFundMe campaign set up by Lee’s sister, Dominique. The message, signed by Dominque Lee, stated that the campaign’s goal was to support Gabriel, her orphaned nephew, and ensure “that the legacy of his parents lives on through the opportunities we now can provide for him”.
“I’m heartbroken … that we recently lost … two incredible souls who were building a life together, full of love, dreams, and devotion to their little boy,” stated the note, which suggested establishing a trust fund for Gabriel or saving for his college tuition. “While this loss is unimaginable, our commitment to Gabriel is unwavering.”
Dominque Lee said on Facebook that she had planned to have her third child before Gabriel’s parents died, but that now she would be a mother of four.
“Rest [assured] knowing that y’all’s son is in good hands,” Lee wrote in a post honoring her sister and the guy who would become her brother-in-law. “I always told you how I admire the mother you [are] – I’ll fill those shoes with honor and compassion.”
