A pair of young best friends were recently killed in a horrific car crash while on their way to a St. Louis Cardinals game. Teagan Kelley and Ashton Jackson were joined at the hip since meeting in kindergarten when they were just 4 years old. Their families say that from the day they met until the day they suddenly died, they were always together.
"They were a part of each other's daily routines. They are 20 years old, and they never got off the phone without saying, 'I love you.' They just had a bond that couldn't be broken," said Mindy Kelley, Teagan's mom.
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Brian Jackson, Ashton's dad, echoed Mindy's sentiments. "They never left each other without saying, ‘I love you.’ That was one thing they always did, said, ‘I love you,’" he shared.
The families, Brian and Sabrina Jackson, and David and Mindy Kelley, are now living any parent's worst nightmare. "This is probably one of the worst things a parent can go through," Sabrina said.
Teagan and Ashton were on Highway 15 in Cahokia Heights, Illinois — just across the state line from St. Louis, Missouri — on the night of July 13, 2024. They were headed to a St. Louis Cardinals game when Teagan crashed into another vehicle, veered off the road, and hit a light pole.
Teagan later died at Touchette Hospital. Ashton was life-flighted to a St. Louis Hospital and was put on life-support, but died that Sunday night. "As a parent, you don't expect this. You can't prepare for something like this," David said.
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The best friends graduated from Belleville East High School together just two years ago.
Gone too soon, their memories live on through all who knew them. "We know that even though the boys aren't here anymore, they are our family. And Teagan was our son, just as much as Ashton was theirs. We love them," Sabrina said. The families have been surrounded by the support of their friends and community.
