Ohio Teacher, 23, Killed in Crash as DHS Says Driver Re-Entered US Illegally After Deportation

A 23-year-old Ohio teacher was killed in a crash in Fairfield County on Sunday, 6 September, after an SUV crossed into oncoming traffic, while the Department of Homeland Security said the charged driver had re-entered the United States illegally after being deported in 2020.

Cameron Lyon died after the collision on US Route 33, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

DHS said the driver, 33-year-old Mexican national Alvaro Uribe-Gonzalez, first entered the US illegally through Texas in January 2020, was ordered removed that month and was deported to Mexico on 14 April 2020.

Federal officials said he later crossed back into the country at an unknown date and location. He now faces charges including aggravated vehicular homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Ohio Teacher Killed After SUV Crossed Into Westbound Lanes

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said Lyon was travelling west shortly after 6pm when Uribe-Gonzalez's eastbound GMC Terrain left the right side of the highway. Investigators said the vehicle then overcorrected, crossed the roadway and overturned into the westbound lanes, where it struck Lyon's Chevrolet Trax.

The GMC caught fire after the collision. Lyon was treated at the scene and taken to Fairfield Medical Center, where he died a short time later, according to the patrol.

Lyon's fiancée, 23-year-old Abrielle Kerns, was seriously injured. The patrol initially described her injuries as non-life-threatening. A family fundraiser subsequently said she remained in intensive care and was 'fighting to recover'.

Investigators said alcohol is suspected to have been a factor in the crash. Uribe-Gonzalez was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, driving under the influence of alcohol and operating a motor vehicle without a valid licence.

DHS Details Driver's Immigration History After Ohio Teacher's Death

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer with the Fairfield County Jail the day after Uribe-Gonzalez's arrest, requesting that local authorities not release him before federal agents can take custody.

DHS said Uribe-Gonzalez had been arrested by Border Patrol after entering through Texas in January 2020.

According to the department, an immigration judge issued a final removal order on 11 January 2020 before he was deported to Mexico on 14 April.

Federal officials said he later returned to the US illegally, although the date and location of that re-entry are not known from the information provided.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Uribe-Gonzalez had been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and DUI after allegedly causing the crash that killed Lyon.

'Cameron had his whole life ahead of him, and that life was stolen by this criminal who never should have been in our country in the first place,' Mullin said.

Republican Ohio gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy also cited the case in comments about immigration enforcement. He described the death as 'an unconscionable tragedy' and said Uribe-Gonzalez 'shouldn't have ever been in our country, let alone permitted to remain here'.

Ohio Teacher Remembered as Family Supports Injured Fiancée

Lyon had recently begun his first teaching position at Crestline Exempted Village School District, where he taught fifth- and sixth-grade social studies. Lyon and Kerns had recently become engaged and were renovating a home that had been in Lyon's family for generations, according to Earthly Pottery Co., where Kerns worked.

A separate fundraiser organised by Kerns' aunt and uncle said the couple had been building a future together before the crash. The money raised is intended to help with Kerns' medical bills and other costs connected with her recovery.

Local businesses also announced support for the families. Millersport Coffee said it would donate part of its weekend sales, while Earthly Pottery Co. remembered Kerns as someone who helped teach classes and Lyon as someone willing to assist when needed.

'A family has lost a son, a brother, a classroom has lost their teacher, friends have lost their friend,' Earthly Pottery Co. wrote. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the crash remains under investigation.