Instagram model facing even more serious charges, thrown back in jail after allegedly causing deadly ‘pink cocaine’-fueled crash while running red light in Mercedes
Left: Miami-Dade bodycam shows Maecee Lathers on the ground after the deadly crash. Right: Lathers appears in court on Sept. 10, 2024, and is taken back to jail (WTVJ).
An Instagram model arrested as the speeding driver behind the wheel of a Mercedes that ran a red light, crashed into another car, killed two men and injured one man’s fiancée while they were on their way to work — all while the suspect was allegedly under the influence of a party drug dubbed “pink cocaine” — now faces even more serious charges in the case and was hauled back to jail.
Maecee Lathers, a 24-year-old self-styled social media model from New York, had a recent stint under house arrest with GPS monitoring, but local NBC affiliate WTVJ reports that she was jailed again after being hit with DUI manslaughter charges in the Aug. 10 deaths of Abraham Molina and his friend Jesus Rubio.
The charges were reportedly a consequence of toxicology reports that allegedly confirmed Lathers’ drug use.
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As Law&Crime has reported, Lathers initially posted bail after pleading not guilt to charges of vehicular homicide, reckless driving, driving on a suspended license and leaving the scene of a crash, a collision that involved three cars: her Mercedes, a Ranger Rover, and the Suzuki that Molina, Hernandez, and Rubio were driving in.
When officers arrived on scene to arrest Lathers, she was vomiting and allegedly admitted to being high on the ketamine-based party drug “tusi” or “2C,” otherwise known as “pink cocaine,” and that she was “from the future and had a crystal ball.”
Lathers was allegedly driving without a valid license and at 57 mph just moments before the crash, then had hit the “accelerator at 100%,” ramping up her speed to 78 mph and causing the deadly collision.
Left: Maecee Lathers (Miami-Dade Corrections). Right: Lathers pictured in bond court (Law&Crime).
While a 24-year-old man driving the Range Rover survived, the two men in the Suzuki did not. Only Juanita Hernandez, Molina’s fiancée, survived with injuries. Hernandez has said on a GoFundMe page after the crash that she was in the front passenger seat and that they were all on their way to work.
A photo shows crash victims Abraham Ismael Molina Cruz, Juanita Hernandez, Jesus Rubio. Only Hernandez survived (WPLG).
“Abraham’s son, just 16 years old, has been left without the love and care of his father, who was his whole world. Due to my injuries, I am unable to work at the moment, and the young man’s life has changed radically. His mother, who lives in Nicaragua and suffers from Parkinson’s, is also now grieving, helpless and without the financial support her son provided,” Hernandez wrote.
A pretrial detention hearing in Lathers’ case is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. on Sept. 16, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
The DUI manslaughter charges are punishable by at least four years upon conviction but could also mean up to three decades in prison.
Law&Crime reached out to Lathers’ defense attorney of record for comment.
Judge rejects demand from Instagram model accused in ‘pink cocaine’-fueled deadly crash to get her iPhone back
Left: Maecee Marie Lathers selfie (Instagram). Inset: Maecee Marie Lathers (Miami-Dade Police). Right: Scene of crash in downtown Miami allegedly caused by Lathers on Aug. 10, 2024 that killed 2. (WTVJ/YouTube).
A Florida court ruled Thursday that an Instagram model charged with killing two men in a fatal crash won’t get her two iPads and iPhone back because these have evidentiary value. Prosecutors in Miami-Dade County are working on breaking through the phone’s password protection, and they want to see if the devices have any evidence on 24-year-old Maecee Lather’s whereabouts earlier on Aug. 10, 2024.
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Authorities have said she was behind the wheel of a Mercedes at around 7 a.m. that day while high on “pink cocaine.” She allegedly ran a red light, crashing into a Suzuki. The crash killed Abraham Molina and his friend Jesus Rubio, and injured Molina’s fiancée Juanita Hernandez while the victims were on their way to work. Minutes later, Lathers told cops that she was “from the future.” A third vehicle, a Range Rover, was also involved.
Prosecutors want to keep her electronic devices in light of these substance-related allegations in her vehicular manslaughter case.
Bodycam video showed Lathers vomiting in the street after the crash, at one point screaming, and then telling officers “My name is Mercedes!”
In the video, the cops could then be heard saying that Lathers had acknowledged being on the ketamine-based party drug “tusi” or “2C,” otherwise known as “pink cocaine.”
“Awesome, amazing,” a male officer at the scene replied. “Are you on drugs?”
Authorities claim Lathers had no license, and accelerated “at 100%” from 57 mph to 78 mph when she caused the deadly crash.
Prosecutors previously sought and obtained pretrial detainment. The court saw Lathers as “extremely dangerous.” She remains in jail.
Matt Naham contributed to this report.
Instagram model accused of killing two people while on ‘pink cocaine’
by WKRCWed, September 11, 2024 at 3:08 PM
(Courtesy of Miami-Dade Corrections)
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MIAMI, Fla. (WKRC) – A 24-year-old self-proclaimed Instagram model was sent to prison after she allegedly killed two people in a crash while under the influence of “pink cocaine.”
Maecee Lathers was arrested on August 11 after she drove her Mercedes car through a red light and crashed into a Range Rover, according to prosecutors. The two cars then careened into a silver Suzuki.
Authorities said Lathers attempted to leave the scene but was stopped by witnesses. When officers arrived, they claimed to see Lathers vomiting and said she admitted to being under the influence of a party drug called “tusi” or “2C” or “pink cocaine.” Additionally, police said Lathers claimed to be “from the future and had a crystal ball.”
Police said that Lathers was driving at 57 miles per hour just before the crash, but had her “accelerator at 100%.” At the moment of impact, Lathers was allegedly driving 78 miles per hour.
Lathers additionally had a suspended drivers license at the time of the crash, according to police.
The man driving the Range Rover survived, but two of the three passengers in the Suzuki died. A rear passenger was killed on impact, and the driver later died from his injuries in the hospital.
The driver was father and husband Abraham Ismael. After his death, his wife (the third passenger in the Suzuki) posted a GoFundMe regarding his death.
“Abraham’s son, just 16 years old, has been left without the love and care of his father, who was his whole world,” she wrote. “Due to my injuries, I am unable to work at the moment, and the young man’s life has changed radically. His mother, who lives in Nicaragua and suffers from Parkinson’s, is also now grieving, helpless and without the financial support her son provided.”
On August 22 Lathers faced two counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of reckless driving, Law & Crime reported. After her September 10 court appearance she now faces DUI manslaughter charges due to toxicology results that allegedly confirm the model’s drug use, according to the outlet.
