Who Was Lauryn Akey? Florida College Student Texted Family to Say She Was Coming Back Home in Final Message Before Being Killed by Drunk Driver

A college student from Florida sent her family one last text message saying she loved them and would be home soon, shortly before she was tragically killed by a drunk driver who was traveling the wrong way on the highway. Lauryn Akey, 21, was driving home from a friend’s wedding in Charlotte County during the early morning hours of May 17.

After stopping to get gas, she sent a text to her family telling them she loved them and would be home soon. But Dennis Olson, 53, was driving his Ford F-150 the wrong way in the northbound lanes of Interstate 75 when he crashed head-on into Akey’s Honda CR-V just after 1 a.m., according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Never Came Back Home

Olson later told state troopers he had been having a “bad night.” The impact of the crash threw Akey from her vehicle, and she was pronounced dead at the scene after the collision around 1 a.m.

A witness told investigators that Olson, who is from Lehigh Acres, appeared to be slurring his speech while being helped out of his truck, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Troopers later determined Olson’s blood alcohol content was 0.222 — nearly three times the legal limit. Olson reportedly told authorities he had only consumed one glass of wine that evening and said he was driving home after visiting Sip & Sizzle in Fort Myers.

Before the crash that killed Akey, Olson allegedly hit a Kia Optima after driving into oncoming traffic, injuring a woman and two children from Arcadia, Florida, according to his arrest affidavit.

One of the children later needed surgery because of the injuries suffered in the crash, the affidavit stated.

Akey had dreams of becoming a nurse and was set to graduate next year from the University of South Florida with a degree in exercise science, her mother, Melinda Mucho, told FOX13 News.

Dreams Shattered

“She would have done amazing things. Her life was just on the horizon; her life was just getting started with her boyfriend,” Mucho said. “She was going to graduate next year, and I want everyone to see her and feel that,” the grieving mother said, adding that she had started the hashtag #lovelikelauryn on social media for her loved ones to remember her by.

Akey’s boyfriend, Garrett Day, posted a heartfelt tribute to her on social media, sharing moments of the couple playing video games together, fishing, and enjoying a road trip. “Rest in paradise my love, I hope you’re holding your pink fishing pole tight catching every fish you ever wanted to,” wrote Day in an Instagram reel.

“Until I get to see you again hun,” he added, along with the hashtags #lovelikelauryn and #dontdrinkanddrive.

Olson is currently being held without bond in Charlotte County and is facing charges of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter, according to FOX13 News. The outlet also reported that he has a previous conviction in Minnesota for impaired driving after allegedly traveling the wrong way on a road.

His next court appearance is scheduled for June 15.