Stone Co. Coroner confirms death of second Gautier High grad in Monday night accident

On Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at approximately 2:00 a.m., the Mississippi Highway Patrol responded to a fatal crash on Highway 49 in Stone County.

A 2016 Dodge Charger driven by 45-year-old Valerie Shanta Smith of Beaumont, MS, traveled north on Highway 49 when it collided with a 2013 Kia Optima driven by 18-year-old Kyla Watkins, and passengers Sedhari S. Watson-Person and Tatyanna Richmond, all from of Ocean Springs, MS, also traveling north on Highway 49.

Sedhari Watson-Person, a front-seat passenger of the Kia Optima, received fatal injuries from the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Stone County Coroner Wayne Flurry confirms that Kyla Watkins passed away at Forrest General Hospital earlier this morning.

The drivers of the other vehicle was airlifted from the scene with life-threatening injuries.