New details regarding a fatal head-on collision in December that left a 12-year-old boy dead revealed that the driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash was an illegal immigrant from Venezuela.
The car accident, which occurred on December 20, 2023, in Missouri, the night before 12-year-old Travis Wolfe’s birthday, sent six people to the hospital including Wolfe, his parents, and another woman with her two children.
Sgt. Scott Schnurbusch from the Hazelwood Police Department said that he saw “two vehicles with heavy damage to both front ends. Airbags deployed on multiple vehicles,” at the scene of the collision.
According to Fox 2, Wolfe was rushed to St. Louis Children’s Hospital where he was put on life support while his parents were taken to Mercy Hospital. His parents reportedly suffered broken ribs, wrists, a broken sternum, and more. Their 12-year-old son had severe brain injuries resulting from the accident, and he later passed away on March 6.
New court documents revealed that Endrina Bracho, the driver of the vehicle responsible for hitting the Wolfe family, “is here illegally from Venezuela.” Despite this, Sgt. Schnurbusch said that fact “did not play a part in our investigation.” Bracho was reportedly driving on the wrong side of the road when she hit the Wolfe family.
“1,700 feet is quite a big distance to travel at over 70 miles an hour on a 40-mile posted road. That’s a long way to travel in the wrong direction and not realize,” Sgt. Schnurbusch said.
“It was just difficult identifying all parties involved because we didn’t have documentation or identifications in the vehicle to try to figure out who the two juveniles and the suspect were,” he added.
Bracho is being held in custody on a $500,000 cash-only bond and is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter in the first degree, two counts of assault in the second degree, two counts of endangering a child in the first degree, and one count of operating a vehicle without a valid license, Fox 2 reported. Her hearing is set for April 8, and her children, who were in the car with her during the devastating collision, are now in the custody of their father.
“Travis and his parents were in a horrific head on crash in late December, sadly the day before Travis’s 12th birthday,” a friend of the Wolfes wrote on a GoFundMe fundraiser created to help cover the family’s medical bills. “Travis was severely injured and has been hospitalized ever since. Please join me in donating funds to support the family with medical expenses.”
So far in fiscal year 2024, Customs and Border Protection has reported a total of 14 homicides perpetrated by noncitizens. 935 noncitizens have been arrested within the same range for driving under the influence, and 372 have been arrested for assault, battery, or domestic violence. There have been a total of 5,616 arrests of “criminal noncitizens” in fiscal year 2024 according to the agency, which is on pace to nearly match the 15,267 arrested during fiscal year 2023.
