DESOTO PARISH, La. — Two lives were cut short early Wednesday morning in a single-vehicle crash that has left a DeSoto Parish community grieving and searching for answers.
Louisiana State Police confirmed that Michael Haynes and Jessie Pena were killed when the pickup truck they were in crashed on Louisiana Highway 5 near Cool Springs Road around 5:15 a.m. on June 11.
Troopers say a 2008 Ford F-250 was traveling southbound when, for reasons still under investigation, it left the roadway, overturned, and struck a tree. Both Haynes and Pena were pronounced dead at the scene.
The violent, pre-dawn crash prompted a full response from emergency crews, and a portion of Hwy 5 was closed as troopers worked to investigate and clear the scene.
LSP’s crash investigation remains active. Authorities have not said whether speed, impairment, or road conditions were factors. Toxicology results and a full crash reconstruction are pending as part of standard procedure in fatal collisions.
Friends and family of Haynes and Pena are now mourning two lives lost far too soon. Tributes began appearing online Wednesday as word spread through DeSoto Parish, with loved ones remembering their laughter, their loyalty, and the hole left behind.
“Two good souls gone in an instant,” one friend wrote. “This hurts our whole community.”
The Louisiana State Police asks anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has information to contact Troop G at 318-741-7411.
Funeral arrangements for Michael Haynes and Jessie Pena have not yet been announced.
They will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved them.
DeSoto Parish Community Mourns as Michael Haynes and Jessie Pena Killed in Pre-Dawn Hwy 5 Crash
