She had just purchased a home in metro Atlanta, according to investigators, and Karen Gregory planned to move with her two children from Jacksonville, Florida.
But on Sunday, all three were killed in a fiery crash in Bibb County while returning to Florida, investigators said. The single-vehicle wreck happened on I-475 southbound, south of the Thomaston Road bridge, shortly after 2 p.m.
“That’s the worst wreck I’ve seen in my 32 years in EMS and 31 years as coroner,” Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday.
Investigators with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office believe the family’s black Chevrolet SUV left the road and struck a tree, causing the vehicle to ignite. The family of three all died inside the burning vehicle.
On Monday, the victims were identified by Jones as 41-year-old Karen Gregory, her 19-year-old son, Kyron, and 10-year-old daughter, Yahvi. Jones said a family member said the mother had just purchased a home in Henry County and the three were returning to their current home in Florida.
Jones said he believes Kyron Gregory was driving the SUV and that he possibly fell asleep behind the wheel. Witnesses reported seeing the SUV drift across the interstate, but nothing struck the Chevrolet, Jones said.
The crash remained under investigation Monday. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Bibb sheriff’s office at 478-751-7500.
