Engaged mother and father of four-year-old die in separate car crashes on same night

A Louisiana couple have died just hours apart in separate car crashes, leaving their grieving families ‘empty inside’.

The pair leave behind their four-year-old son, whose grandmother has revealed is struggling to come to terms with his loss.

25-year-old Alexus Lee and John ‘Jr’ Collins, 35, were building their futures together. They planned to get married in February 2026, and had even recently bought a house together to continue raising their four-year-old son, Gabriel.

However, their lives were regrettably cut short on May 16, when the couple was killed in two different car accidents.

Louisiana State Police confirmed Lee lost control of her SUV while driving on Plank Road in Zachary in the early hours of the morning. Officials have stated the Southern University graduate wasn’t wearing her seatbelt during the car accident, which saw her vehicle crash into a culvert before overturning.

WAFB also confirmed the mother-of-one died at the scene of the incident, which took place at around 2am, and Fox8live reported that investigators informed Lee’s fiancé that she had been in a crash, prompting him to head to the scene.

Officials claim that JR lost control of his vehicle just before 3.45am, on his way to his partner's car crash. It’s understood that the truck driver hit a tree on Plank Road, just outside Clinton, and died at the scene after being ejected from his vehicle.

Troopers say that, like Lee, Collins wasn’t wearing his seat belt either.

Alexus Lee died after her SUV overturned, according to state officials (WAFB)

In a heartbreaking interview, Collins’ father, Arthur, has confessed that the tragic incident has left him feeling ‘empty inside’.

“I love them. I’mma miss both of them, and I will find the strength to go ahead,” he tearfully told the Louisiana news outlet, WAFB.

Meanwhile, Collins’ mother Sandra has spoken out about how much her son ‘loved’ his wife-to-be.

She remarked: “He loved Alexus, as well as everybody else who knew her. To know her was to love her.”

Sandra went on to discuss the impact Lee and Collins’ deaths had had on their son Gabriel, explaining he didn’t fully understand that his parents were dead.

Collins and Lee were due to be married and leave behind their four-year-old son (WAFB)

“He’s just having a little problem comprehending that we can’t talk to them. We can’t see them, but he understands that they are asleep and are with God.

“The two families will blend, and we will do whatever it takes to give him a good life.”

Lee’s sister Dominique said losing her sibling was just a ‘different feeling’, remarking that it felt as if part of her was ‘gone’.

“I know they left here knowing their child is in good hands, for sure,” she added.

Live5news reported that the families of the deceased came together yesterday (May 21) to celebrate their lives.

Meanwhile, state police have confirmed both crashes remain under investigation.