HABERSHAM COUNTY, Ga. — The wife and two young children of a Georgia deputy are among the dead after a horrific crash. Two others also died in the fiery collision Sunday afternoon on busy State Route 365 in Habersham County, according to authorities.
Georgia State Patrol said Mitchell Boggs, 58, of Marietta, and his passenger were in a Corvette traveling southbound in the right lane about 3:30 p.m. A driver in a Ford Explorer, identified as Avonlea Holtzclaw, 29, was trying to cross the southbound side and make a turn onto Mt. Zion Road. The woman had two young children in her SUV, WSB-TV reported.
Investigators said the Corvette struck the Explorer and both automobiles caught fire. There was no indication given regarding the primary collision factor. i.e. speed and/or failure to yield.
In the midst of the horrific tragedy involving multiple families, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Holtzclaw and both kids in her vehicle were the wife and children of Hall County Deputy Patrick Neil Holtzclaw.
According to the news outlet, friends and family identified the children as 5-year-old Maddie Cate and 6-year-old Colt.
On behalf of HCSO, Sheriff Gerald Couch expressed heartbreak and said the agency will support the Holtzclaw family.
“What can you say when someone loses his entire family? There are no words that can adequately express the heartbreak the Holtzclaw family is experiencing right now, but clearly our entire agency is devastated for them,” said Sheriff Couch. “We appreciate the many law enforcement agencies that have reached out asking how they can help. If I know our community, they will want to offer support, too. For now, we ask that you remember Deputy Holtzclaw in your prayers and give him time to grieve privately.”
