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Mexican national deported in 2020 charged in Ohio DUI crash that killed teacher, 23
Alvaro Uribe-Gonzalez, a 33-year-old Mexican national previously deported in 2020, faces aggravated vehicular homicide and DUI charges after a Sunday crash on U.S. Route 33 in Fairfield County killed 23-year-old teacher Cameron Lyon and seriously injured his fiancée, Abrielle Kerns. ICE has lodged a detainer with the Fairfield County Jail.
A Mexican national who was deported from the United States in 2020 is facing charges of aggravated vehicular homicide and driving under the influence after authorities say he caused a fiery crash in Fairfield County, Ohio, that killed a 23-year-old teacher and seriously injured the man's fiancée.
Alvaro Uribe-Gonzalez, 33, was charged in the Sunday evening collision on U.S. Route 33 that killed Cameron Lyon, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Lyon's fiancée, 23-year-old Abrielle Kerns, was seriously hurt. The patrol initially described her injuries as non-life-threatening, but relatives said she remained in intensive care and was «fighting to recover» as the family mourned Lyon.
Investigators said Lyon was driving west shortly after 6 p.m. when Uribe-Gonzalez's eastbound GMC Terrain went off the right side of the highway. Authorities allege Uribe-Gonzalez overcorrected, veered across the roadway and overturned into the westbound lanes, striking Lyon's Chevrolet Trax. The GMC then caught fire. Lyon was treated at the scene and died a short time later, the patrol said. Uribe-Gonzalez suffered minor injuries. Alcohol is suspected to have played a role in the crash, according to investigators.
Uribe-Gonzalez was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, driving under the influence of alcohol and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer with the Fairfield County Jail the day after his arrest, asking local officials not to release him before federal agents can take custody.
The Department of Homeland Security said Uribe-Gonzalez first entered the country illegally through Texas in January 2020 and was arrested by Border Patrol. An immigration judge issued a final removal order on Jan. 11, 2020, and the Trump administration deported him to Mexico on April 14 of that year, according to DHS. Federal officials said he later crossed back into the United States at an unknown date and location.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said ICE wants Ohio officials to cooperate with the detainer so Uribe-Gonzalez can be taken into federal custody and removed from the country. «Cameron had his whole life ahead of him, and that life was stolen by this criminal who never should have been in our country in the first place,» Mullin said.
Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy called the crash an «unconscionable tragedy because it was preventable» and said the suspect should never have been allowed to remain in the country. «I won't tolerate this in our state,» Ramaswamy said, vowing to take action if elected governor.
Lyon had recently begun his first teaching job at Crestline Exempted Schools, where staff and students remembered him fondly, according to a fundraiser for his family. A graduate of Otterbein University, he was described as a cherished son, brother and friend whose death devastated his family and community.
Lyon and Kerns had recently become engaged and were preparing to begin their life together. The couple had moved into a home that had been in Lyon's family for generations and were renovating it together, according to Earthly Pottery Co., where Kerns worked. The business said Kerns had helped teach its classes.
A fundraiser organized by Kerns' aunt and uncle said the family was standing beside her through the «shock, pain and uncertainty» of the days following the crash. «Everyone who knew Abrielle and Cameron could see the love they shared and the future they were building together,» the family wrote. The money raised will help cover Kerns' medical bills and the challenges she faces as she recovers and rebuilds her life without Lyon.
The crash has rippled through the community, with local businesses rallying around Kerns and Lyon's family. Millersport Coffee announced it will donate a portion of its weekend sales to support Lyon's family and help cover Kerns' medical needs. «The entire Kerns family is like family to us,» the coffee shop wrote. «We are incredibly thankful that she survived, while we grieve with her and the Lyon family over the heartbreaking loss of her fiancé, Cameron Lyon.»
