LIBERTY COUNTY, TX- A Woodrow Wilson Junior High student who suffered serious injuries in a hit-and-run collision in Dayton last week has died, according to a heartbreaking update from his mother. Trista Michele, who shared the news on social media, said her son, Brantley Conner, died at 10:58 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. She expressed profound grief over his death while finding some comfort in knowing he no longer suffers.
“It’s with the heaviest heart that I sit here and write these words,” Michele wrote. She said Brantley had reunited with his grandmother and great-grandparents in Heaven.
Michele also thanked the community for the prayers, messages and support she and her family have received as they cope with the loss.
“I’m trying to take things one moment at a time and find the strength to get through each day,” she wrote, explaining that she has seen the messages but has not had the strength to respond to everyone.
She expressed particular gratitude to those who have continued to check on her and stand by her during what she described as the hardest moments of her life.
“My sweet Brantley, I wish more than anything that you were still here with me,” Michele wrote. “I will carry you in my heart for the rest of my life, and I will love you forever.”
Bus driver arrested in connection with collision
The Dayton Police Department previously announced the arrest of Ricky Eugene Cherry, 70, of Dayton, in connection with the hit-and-run collision that seriously injured Brantley. Police said the crash occurred between 6:15 and 6:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16, near the eastbound intersection of U.S. 90 and Stilson Road. Investigators believed a vehicle struck the juvenile and the driver left without stopping to render aid, according to an earlier police statement seeking the public’s assistance. Cherry, a Dayton ISD bus driver, was subsequently arrested in connection with the incident, police said. Brantley’s death marks a devastating loss for his family and the community. As his mother navigates the unimaginable grief of losing her son, she said the outpouring of love and support has helped her face each day.
The victim’s mother closed her message with a promise to carry her son’s memory with her forever, writing that she would love him until she could hold him in her arms again.
A Go Fund Me has been set up to help the victim’s family with expenses. To donate, click here
