WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Court documents say a woman now charged with involuntary manslaughter in the crash death of her 5-year-old daughter told a deputy that she had been drunk at the time of the March crash.
Sedgwick County Sheriff's deputies say in an arrest affidavit that Nory Lam was holding her injured daughter, Aleah Reyes, in her lap in the backseat of the crashed sport utility vehicle when deputies arrived around 3 a.m. March 7.
The deputy who questioned Lam said she told him, “We were drunk driving,” and said the crash was her fault. The girl died as paramedics tried to treat her injuries. The affidavit says Lam told a deputy she had consumed several shots of tequila at a party before driving.
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SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal car accident early Sunday have identified the victim as 5-year-old Aleah A. Reyes of Wichita according Sedgwick County Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.
Just after 3a.m. Sunday, deputies were dispatched to an injury accident near 47th Street South and 127th Street East, according to Blick.
When deputies arrived they located a 2014 Ford Escape driven by 26-year-old Nory Lam of Wichita that had been westbound on 47th Street South when it left the road and overturned.
Lam had minor injuries. The passenger, Lam's 5-year-old daughter Aleah A. Reyes of Wichita was unresponsive. EMS provided life saving measures to Reyes but she was pronounced deceased at 3:39a.m., according to Blick.
During the accident investigation deputies discovered evidence that indicated alcohol may have contributed to the accident, according to Blick. Additional investigative efforts determined probable cause existed to arrest and book Nory Lam for Involuntary Manslaughter, Driving under the Influence and Transporting an Open Container of an Alcoholic Beverage.