Woman arrested in connection with fatal accident involving three cars on I-10 The woman, identified as 35-year-old Iyona Holton, is charged with multiple crimes in connection with the accident that killed six people on July 2, 2021. PHOENIX – A major accident that killed a mother and her five children occurred after she made a U-turn on an Interstate Median and a semi-trailer hit her vehicle from behind, authorities said on Friday. DPS officials say the accident, which involved three vehicles, occurred at 1:21 p.m. on Interstate 10 at mile post 82 children, all 18 years of age or younger, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said. “A semi-trailer was traveling east on Lane 2 when, for an unknown reason, it left a Nissan Altima with five people on board behind it. The force of the impact split the Nissan car in half, ”said Bart Graves of DPS. The victims were brought to California On July 4th, the six victims were named Natisha Moffett, Jo’syia Moffett (17), Giovanni Thomas-Blakney (16), Santari Witherspoon Jr. (16), Makayla Thomas-Blakney (5), Malik Thomas-Blakney. identified Jr., 8. Moffett took her children to California to celebrate the July 4th weekend when they were killed. She moved to Arizona from Michigan two years ago to pursue her dreams. Kwame Delbridge, her brother and her children’s uncle, said the whole family was traumatized by what happened. “We’re hurting a lot right now. We really don’t know what to do now,” he said. Delbridge was supposed to go on the trip too, but couldn’t at the last minute. Relatives: Mother, her 5 children were killed when an 18-wheel rear vehicle crossed the median on I-10 prior to the accident; Suspect identified On July 8, DPS officials released a statement identifying the suspect as 35-year-old Iyona Holton. Her friend Natisha Moffett had traveled on Interstate 10 west of Phoenix before Holton was sitting in a different vehicle, officials said. Holt got a flat tire and called Moffett to tell him she would cross the median to get to a safer place to seek help. According to court records, she told Moffett to follow her. “Investigators found that the two cars, a GMC Envoy and a Nissan Altima, were initially traveling west on I-10. Both vehicles drove into and through the dirt median, a marked ‘no U-turn’ zone, to turn around and head east on I-10. When GMC and Nissan vehicles pulled into the eastbound lanes, they were hit by a commercial semi-trailer, “said part of the statement. Although there was enough space on the side of the motorway for a safe approach, the two vehicles crossed the median in a no-turn zone, the authorities said. They were driving in one of the lanes and driving about 15 mph when they were hit by the semi-trailer, which fell below the speed limit of 73 km / h (117 km / h), the authorities said. Everyone in Moffett’s car died in the July 2nd accident. The surviving friend and her four children, ages 2-14, sustained injuries, including cuts, fractures and a brain hemorrhage, according to court documents. Ministry of Public Security spokesman Bart Graves said Friday the children were still in the hospital. The friend will not be charged with the deaths of Moffett or her children, Graves said. The details of the crash were only released on Thursday. According to investigators, Holton drove the GMC. Officials say Holton, charged with four cases of aggravated assault and two other drug-related cases, has been booked in Maricopa County Jail. The four assault charges relate to her driving behavior and injuries to her children, Graves said. The two drug charges apparently came from a white powdery substance and a partially melted straw that a hospital security guard found in the woman’s purse, according to court documents. An investigation is ongoing. The Associated Press contributed to this report. More Top Stories from Arizona Tune on to FOX 10 Phoenix for the latest news. For the latest local news, download the FOX 10 News app. Sign up for FOX 10 email alerts and newsletters
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