NEWS
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
It is one of those massive tragedies that touches the nation, the deaths of nine people in a two-vehicle accident; however, the loss of so many young lives came home to Nocona with the death of 2021 graduate Laci Stone in this crash.
The 18-year-old was attending the University of the Southwest and playing golf for the school. She along with six of her golf teammates from the girl’s and boy’s teams and the head coach, lost their lives in the crash outside Andrews, TX.
Two team members were hospitalized in a Lubbock hospital with critical injuries after being airlifted from the scene. Two people from the other vehicle, driver Henrich Siemens, 38, Seminole, and a 13-year-old boy also were killed.
Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board conducted a press conference Thursday reporting the 13-year-old boy was driving the Dodge pickup when it crashed into the van.
NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said the early investigation revealed the truck had a spare tire with a steel rim in place of its left front tire. That tire seemed to have failed, causing the truck to swerve in front of the van. The truck also was said to be traveling at a high rate of speed.
The NTSB staff noted several of the students in the van were not wearing seatbelts and at least one van passenger was ejected. Both vehicles caught fire and DPS reports several people tried to get people out of the van but the fire was too hot.
Those killed from USW included Coach Tyler James, 26; Laci Stone, 18; Mauricio Sanchez, 19; Travis Garcia, 19; Jackson Zinn, 22; Karisa Raines, 21 and Tiago Sousa, 18. The two surviving golf team members, Hayden Underhill and Dayton Price are recovering and stable at a Lubbock hospital according to USW officials.
Read the full story in the Saturday Bowie News as friends and former coaches remember Laci Stone.
The Laci Stone Memorial Fund has been set up at several local banks including First State Bank, Legend Bank and Wells Fargo. There also is a Venmo account set up under Chelsi Stone @lovelikelaci.
A gofundme account also has been set up as Laci Stone Memorial at https://gofund.me/c425161f.
The Bowie City Council will meet at 6 p.m. on June 23.
The agenda includes both old and new business items.
City Manager Bert Cunningham will make his report on the 2026-27 budget process, bid opening for the Glenn Hills lift station on July 16 and the bid for Rock and Pillar repairs.
In new business a pair of planning and zoning committee recommendations for replats at 107 E. Nelson and 412 Green will be reviewed. An ordinance adopting an office of emergency management amending a present ordinance will be offered.
Old business will see the second reading of the pickleball court reservation fee ordinance and the ordinance prohibiting drilling and mining or the reopening of an abandoned well or mine in any public park in the city limits.
A HEAT ADVISORY will be in effect from noon until 9 p.m. today (Thursday). Please plan accordingly.
Hear Audio Alert:https://hrpow.us/oeFZANN
Montague County Sheriff Marshall Thomas has confirmed human skeletal remains were recovered on June 13 in the Sunset area, and they could possibly be those of a flight attendant believed to have been murdered almost a year ago in the Fort Worth.
The murder suspect, Dennis William Day, 66, admitted in June 2025 to strangling Rana Soluri, 47, an Envoy flight attendant who lived with Day during that last year. She was reported missing by a co-worker on June 11 and had not been seen or heard from since March 2025.
Day initially denied any involvement, but later admitted to the murder and indicated he dumped her body somewhere in the Montague County area. Lawmen have scoured the areas in questions in both Montague and Wise County, but found nothing.
Sheriff Thomas said on June 13 the SO received a call of possible skeletal remains in the Brushy Creek area north of Poss Dyer Lane on Farm-to-Market 1749. A deputy went to the scene and confirmed it was human remains.
Investigators responded and kept the scene secure overnight until staff from the University of North Texas Forensic Anthropology Center could arrive and made the recovery on June 14. A Texas Ranger and staff from the Fort Worth Police Department also were on scene.
“There is no determination made yet on how long it has been there,” said Thomas. “The anthropologist was pleased to recover most of the skeleton in these conditions. Heavy rains previously made the past searches difficult. We are working jointly with Fort Worth to make an identification and if it is the victim in their homicide.”
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