Karalee Shepard spent five days in a hospital bed while her family held on to hope. She had suffered severe head injuries when an SUV hit her bicycle along Grand River Avenue. On September 10, 2026, the 13-year-old girl died from those injuries, leaving her parents to face a double tragedy.
The crash happened on the morning of September 5 during Labor Day weekend. Karalee and her 12-year-old brother, Calvin, were riding their bikes together near North Meech Road in Leroy Township, Michigan. Both children were wearing helmets when a westbound Ford Explorer hit them around 11:30 a.m.
Calvin died at the scene from the force of the impact. Emergency crews rushed Karalee to a local hospital in critical condition. For five days, her parents, Cody and Raquel Roark Shepard, stayed at her bedside, holding out for a recovery while coping with the loss of their son.
Her mother broke the news on social media, writing that Karalee passed away peacefully with her family by her side. The update brought an end to five days of waiting for relatives and friends. In her post, Raquel wrote that the family takes comfort in knowing Karalee and Calvin are together again.
Michigan State Police identified the driver of the Ford Explorer as a 64-year-old woman from Williamston. Officers reported that she remained at the scene after the crash and cooperated with investigators. Preliminary findings showed that neither alcohol nor drugs played a role in the incident.
State police investigators are still working to determine how the collision occurred. Reconstruction teams are reviewing physical evidence from Grand River Avenue to piece together the events leading up to the crash. No arrests have been made and no traffic charges have been filed.
The Shepard family arranged a single funeral service for both children at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in East Lansing. Family members said holding one service was the only way they could manage saying goodbye to both children at once.
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