TYLER, Texas — An East Texas mother has been arrested after documents show she was driving while more than four times over the legal alcohol limit when she caused the wrong-way head-on crash that killed her young daughter.
Krystle Medeiros, 38, of Tyler, was booked into the Smith County Jail Monday on an intoxication manslaughter charge in connection with a Jan. 4 wreck that caused the death of her 9-year-old daughter Kylie Medeiros, arrest records show. As of Tuesday, she remains jailed on a $100,000 bond.
According to an arrest affidavit, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper determined Krystle Medeiros was driving an SUV on the wrong side of traffic on State Highway 64 when she struck a pickup truck head-on. Both Krystle and Kylie Medeiros were taken to the hospital.
The trooper smelled a "strong odor of alcoholic beverage" inside of the vehicle, but he did not find any drinks. At the hospital, Krystle Medeiros was identified as the driver and her daughter Kylie as the passenger, the affidavit read.
Hospital staff told the trooper that Medeiros admitted she had been drinking. Testing at the hospital showed her blood alcohol concentration reading was at 0.35. The legal limit in Texas is 0.08, meaning her result was more than four times over, the document stated.
"She was mentally not stable. But she hid it very well. So people couldn't see. And she drowned herself with alcohol," Medeiros' family friend said.
Law enforcement issued a subpoena for Medeiros' medical records. Kylie Medeiros passed away in the early morning hours of Jan. 5, the affidavit said.
Kylie's obituary says she was an outgoing child with the biggest smile that could illuminate any room. She loved unicorns, rainbows, pink and purple.
"She was a very creative and imaginative child that enjoyed coloring. Kylie was a ray of sunshine who will be forever missed, always loved and never forgotten," the memorial reads.
Jail records show Krystle Medeiros has been arrested for driving while intoxicated and public intoxication multiple times over the years.
"She should have been in jail before that, you know, her daughter's life would have been saved," Medeiros' family friend said.
In her most recent arrest for DWI, she was charged with committing the offense for a second time in September 2021 and she later pleaded guilty to the charge in November of the same year. She was sentenced to 20 months of probation with 100 community service hours. She was also ordered to be a part of the DWI Repeat Offender Program.