Las Vegas mom was driving 121 mph before crash that killed her 1-year-old son
LAS VEGAS (KVVU) — Police said a Las Vegas woman was driving 121 mph before a deadly crash that claimed the life of her 1-year-old son.
Lauren Prescia, 24, faces multiple charges including DUI resulting in death, felony reckless driving and abuse, and child endangerment. Her son, Royce Jones, was killed in the crash, according to Prescia’s arrest report.
Police responded to the collision near a Las Vegas intersection around 7:30 p.m. on July 12. Witnesses told police a baby was ejected from the car and showed no signs of life.
Officers said Prescia had bloodshot eyes and smelled strongly of alcohol.
A man at the scene identified himself as the child’s father. He told police he was in the process of a custody exchange with Prescia. The man said he was driving on the same roadway while talking to her on the phone.
He said Prescia told him she would beat him to a house, then began speeding. He said she passed him at one point, and he told her to slow down because their son was in her car. While trying to change lanes, he said he saw her car hit another vehicle.
Because of the force of the crash, the entire right side of Prescia’s 2020 Hyundai Sonata was “sheered from the vehicle,” police said.
Data from the car showed five seconds before the crash, she drove at 120 mph with the throttle at 100%. Police said 2.5 seconds before the crash, the vehicle reached a max speed of 121 mph.
The report said a forward-facing child seat was secured in the right rear passenger seat of the Hyundai. Prescia’s son suffered severe trauma to his head in the crash. A Clark County Coroner’s investigator pronounced the baby dead at 1:10 a.m. on July 13.
Because Prescia received medical treatment at the scene, officers could not conduct a field sobriety check. She had her blood drawn at University Medical Center, and police are awaiting those results.
Prescia is expected in court again on Tuesday for a 72-hour hearing.
Photo Credit: Las Vegas PD