An Alabama couple was arrested Wednesday in connection with a tragic boat crash that left a 26-year-old elementary school teacher dead, authorities said.
Jodi and Nick Suggs, both 50, were charged with criminally negligent homicide for the Fourth of July collision between their boat and the watercraft the teacher, Kelsey Starling, was aboard with five of her friends, the Troy Messenger reported.
Authorities haven’t said who was responsible for the crash that apparently sent Starling, a speech pathologist at Tuggle Elementary School, into Smith Lake.
The official search for Starling, an University of Alabama graduate, was suspended on July 19, but her family is reportedly leading one last effort this week with the help of divers from across the US and Canada.
William Jackson Fite, 23, who was driving the 2012 Mastercraft wakeboard boat Starling was on, was charged with boating under the influence shortly after the crash. He’s since been released on $2,000 bond.
Four other people on board were treated for minor injuries.
Jodi Suggs was reportedly at the helm of the other vessel, a 2011 Harris Flotebote pontoon boat, she and her husband were on.
The couple were indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday and turned themselves in to authorities Wednesday.
The victim’s father, Alton Starling, said in a statement that his family wouldn’t be commenting on the new charges.
“We look forward to receiving information yielded from the investigation that resulted in this indictment,” he said.
The statement also thanked law enforcement officials and search teams who worked to locate Starling and the “love and support” his family has received from all over the state.
“We have been especially touched by the blue Kelsey ribbons that have seemingly appeared everywhere in Alabama and states beyond,” the family said. “This has provided our family significant comfort.”