ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Jaiden Wallace-Hayes, a 24-year-old mother recovering from multiple broken bones after a deadly street racing crash in Albany, said she has now lost her unborn son. She said she believes the death is connected to the wreck that killed two other bystanders.

“I lost my baby at 20 weeks because of a drag racing accident I had no part in,” Wallace-Hayes said. “I was just there and everything changed in an instant.”

Albany police said the crash happened around 9:41 p.m. on March 21 in the 1900 block of Krug Street when a vehicle involved in street racing lost control and crashed into a group of vehicles. Rickey Thomas, 26, and a 4-year-old child died from their injuries, police said. Two other victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

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Police said Brandon King, 24, and Jacob Daniels Jr., 25, each face two counts of first-degree homicide by vehicle, along with additional charges including reckless driving and racing on a highway.

Wallace-Hayes said she is grieving while still trying to heal.

“I’m grieving my child while trying to recover from my own broken body,” she said. “My baby mattered. My baby was loved. And because of someone else’s reckless decision, I never get to hold him, watch him grow or hear him cry.”

Albany’s District Attorney says what’s next

Dougherty Judicial Circuit District Attorney Greg Edwards said Georgia law includes multiple statutes that can apply when an unborn child dies, depending on the circumstances. He said there are two statutes that address feticide

Edwards said one statute applies in situations where the conduct would have amounted to the murder of the mother.

“The law is directed for … the unborn child of a woman that is killed in a manner which would have been a murder for the mother would translate into a murder for the child,” he said, adding that the maximum penalty is life in prison.

He said another option can involve voluntary manslaughter.

“There’s also a voluntary manslaughter charge,” Edwards said. “So if the act that brought about the death of the mother was a voluntary manslaughter … the charge … would be a voluntary manslaughter, which carries a penalty from one to 20 years.”

Edwards said Georgia also has a separate statute that applies when a vehicle is involved.

“Now, there’s a specific statute that addresses when a vehicle is involved, and that would be feticide by vehicle,” he said. “The mother can survive. It doesn’t matter that the mother lives and the child dies. The person can still be prosecuted for the death of the unborn child.”

Edwards said any charge would depend on what investigators can prove, including causation.

When asked whether prosecutors would have to prove the pregnancy loss resulted from the crash, Edwards confirmed that would be one of the necessary elements.

Edwards said the case remains under review.

“We’re actively investigating the wreck,” he said. “I do actually anticipate that a charge will be brought in that regard... We’ll be reviewing everything related to the case, and we want to make sure that all appropriate charges … are addressed by the law.”

What Georgia law generally says

Georgia law recognizes an “unborn child” in certain criminal statutes. Separate from the traffic-related charges already filed in the Albany case, Georgia has laws that can apply when an unborn child dies as a result of certain criminal conduct. Whether such charges can be pursued depends on the facts, including medical findings and what investigators can prove about causation.

In general terms, prosecutors typically consider:

• The stage of pregnancy and how state law defines “unborn child” for criminal offenses;
• Whether the death can be legally linked to the actions under investigation; and
• Which statute fits the conduct alleged (because not every fetal death is charged the same way, and some cases may be handled under other homicide/assault frameworks rather than a single “feticide” label).

No additional charges connected to the unborn baby’s death have been announced. Authorities have not publicly said what, if any, new charges they may seek as the investigation continues.

The crash has renewed concerns about illegal street racing in Albany, which officials have warned can put bystanders at risk in an instant.

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