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Mom's Drunken Attempt To Beat Husband Home Amid Custody Dispute Leads To High-Speed Crash That Kills Son, Authorities Allege
Lauren Prescia was allegedly traveling at speeds in excess of 120 mph at the time of the crash, which threw her 1-year-old son, Royce Jones, from the car.
A Las Vegas mother was allegedly under the influence and speeding, attempting to beat her husband home amid a custody matter, when she crashed her car, killing her young son, officials say.
Lauren Prescia, 24, is currently being held on multiple charges in the death of 1-year-old Royce Jones, according to a review of online jail records. On Sunday evening, officers received multiple reports of a crash — with some callers telling officials that a baby was thrown from a car and showed no signs of life, according to local outlet Fox 5.
Officers responding to the scene confirmed that the child was dead and spoke to Prescia to reconstruct the events that led to the crash, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Officers found that Prescia "had blood-shot eyes and [the officer] could smell that she was emitting a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage from her person," according to an arrest report obtained by Oxygen.com. Police concluded that Prescia was driving drunk before the collision that killed her son Royce, who was ejected from the vehicle.
The child's father, Cameron Hubbard-Jones, witnessed the crash from a separate car while traveling on the same road, according to the arrest report. He told police that Prescia "told him she was going to beat him home and began speeding" during a phone conversation.
The two were involved in a child custody matter for Royce.
Detectives obtained a warrant and searched data from Prescia's Hyundai — determining the vehicle was traveling around 120 mph, with the vehicle at full throttle, five seconds before the collision. Prescia reached 121 mph two and half seconds before the collision, according to 8NewsNow.
Prescia allegedly told officers that she drank two 12-ounce White Claw hard seltzers earlier in the day, the Review Journal reported.
The woman appeared in court on Tuesday morning, where bail was set at $50,000 and the presiding judge called her a threat to public safety, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
“You are alleged to be driving a motor vehicle at an excessive rate of speed of 121 miles per hour with your infant child in the car,” Justice of the Peace Cynthia Cruz said. “If you would do that with your infant child in the car, it gives the court very grave concerns as to the safety of the community.”
It was not immediately clear if Prescia has retained an attorney available to comment.
