Authorities have released the identities of the two victims killed in a weekend collision and provided new details regarding the suspect’s alleged impairment.
Vernell Laurthel Hayes, 45, of Fort Mill, remains held without bond at the York County Detention Center on two counts of felony driving under the influence resulting in death following the tragic crash on Saturday, October 17.
According to the York County Coroner’s Office and the Tega Cay Police Department, officers were dispatched in the early morning hours on Saturday to the intersection of West Highway 160 and Tillberg Way following reports of a collision between a passenger vehicle and a motorcycle.
Investigators report that the motorcycle was traveling northbound on Highway 160 when Hayes, driving southbound, attempted to make a left turn onto Tillberg Way, colliding directly with the motorcycle.
The motorcycle driver, identified as 26-year-old Gabriel Tucker Williams of Fort Mill, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, 31-year-old Aeryn Kira Sutherland of Charlotte, sustained critical injuries and was rushed to Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, where she died shortly after arrival.
According to police and arrest warrants, Hayes admitted to drinking alcohol prior to the crash. Allegedly, a breath test revealed he had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.13 — well above South Carolina’s legal limit of 0.08.
Coroner Sabrina Gast stated that pathology and toxicology results for the victims remain pending. The fatal collision remains under active investigation by the Tega Cay Police Department in coordination with the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
