A 16-year-old Texas cheerleader has died after a freak sledding accident during a rare winter storm in the Lone Star State, just days after her rising soccer star best friend was killed in the tragedy.
Grace Brito died Tuesday after she and Elizabeth Angle, 16, hitched a sled to the back of another teen’s Jeep for a high-speed ride on Sunday, the Frisco Police Department confirmed on Facebook.
During a sharp turn, the sled slammed against a curb and careened into a tree.
Grace Brito, 16, died Tuesday after a freak sledding accident during a rare winter storm in Texas.Family Handout
The girls were rushed to the hospital, where Angle was pronounced dead. Brito suffered critical injuries in the accident and had been on life support since the crash.
“We are a family of four — myself, my husband, Grace, and Emma,” Brito’s mother, Tracy Brito, said, noting that her other daughter, Emma, is a freshman at Louisiana State University.
“Our family is heartbroken by the loss of our beautiful daughter, Gracie. She was a kind and generous soul, full of warmth, love, and compassion.”
The grieving mother said her daughter and Angle — a Wakeland High School sophomore who played junior varsity soccer in the fall and competed for the FC Dallas 2009G club team in the offseason — were inseparable, longtime best friends.
Brito died days after her rising soccer star best friend, Elizabeth Angle, was killed in the tragedy.Wakeland Girls Soccer
She said her daughter was a devoted cheerleader and All-Star Athlete at Express Dance & Cheer.
“Cheer was her greatest passion,” Tracy Brito told the outlet. “She approached the sport with discipline, dedication, and joy.”
In an emotional statement, Express Dance & Cheer said Brito had “grown up to become a leader,” adding they were “lucky to have had time with her.”
“We will continue to honor Gracie every way we can and look for her in everything we do. Her kindness and optimism will never be forgotten, and we will hold her memory close to our hearts,” the organization told KTVT.
Brito and Angle were inseparable, longtime best friends.@elizabeth.anglee/Instagram
“Our Express family will always have a guardian angel looking over us, and we cling to the fact that Gracie is eternally safe and surrounded by peace.”
Angle’s mother told Fox 4 on Monday that she had only recently gotten her driver’s license and was eager to spend a snowy weekend with her closest friends.
“We will never be the same,” she said.
Investigators said a 16-year-old boy was driving a Jeep Wrangler that was pulling two girls on a sled when it struck a curb and slammed into a tree.
A makeshift memorial for the teens is shown at the site Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Frisco, Texas.AP
A neighbor who witnessed the moments before the crash, Mark Fischer, said the Jeep “accelerated really fast” as the girls screamed before disappearing around a corner.
“On ice like this, to be going that fast, a sled can’t stop,” he told KTVT.
It remains unclear whether the 16-year-old driver will be charged.
Frisco police said the crash is still under investigation, but stressed that no alcohol was involved.
“We also want to clarify rumors circulating online, throughout this entire investigation, there has been no indication of alcohol involvement by any of the involved parties,” the department wrote in its statement Tuesday.
“Please be mindful of sharing unverified information, as it can add unnecessary pain to those grieving.”
News
HALF A MINUTE INSIDE THE CROWD: Dozens witnessed the Frisco confrontation, yet the 30 seconds before Austin Metcalf’s death remain the most disputed part of Karmelo Anthony’s trial…
The 30 Seconds Before Austin Metcalf Was Stabbed: Why the Frisco Track Meet Timeline Still Divides the Courtroom By U.S. Crime Desk Dozens of people were at the track meet. Athletes. Coaches. Parents. Students sheltering under tents during a weather delay. And yet, the most important 30 seconds in the Karmelo Anthony trial remain fiercely […]
WHAT DID WESTON SEE? Hidden camera recordings allegedly recovered from James “Weston” Higginbotham’s phone are now raising chilling new questions about his final hours in Japan…
The Final Mountain Trail: What Did James “Weston” Higginbotham See Before He Died in Japan? By International News Desk The disappearance of James “Weston” Higginbotham in Japan has taken a devastating turn. The 20-year-old Auburn University student, missing since May 29 while traveling with his family, was found dead in a mountainous area outside Kyoto […]
JURORS ASKED TO SEE THE CASE THROUGH HIS EYES: In a dramatic courtroom showdown, Karmelo Anthony’s defense argued that the fatal encounter began with fear
Shock in Court: Karmelo Anthony’s Defense Wants Jurors to See His Fear — Prosecutors Say the Evidence Shows Murder By U.S. Crime Desk The courtroom battle has reached the question at the center of the Karmelo Anthony trial: Was he afraid? Or was Austin Metcalf murdered? Anthony, now 19, is on trial in Collin County, […]
LANDMAN SEASON 3 SHOCKER: The 14-Episode Update Has Fans Asking How Big The Next Chapter Really Is…
Fans of Taylor Sheridan’s Landman have been waiting anxiously since the Season 2 finale (Tragedy and Flies, January 18, 2026). Now Paramount+ has confirmed Season 3 will not only return but expand to 14 episodes, breaking Sheridan’s usual 10-episode formula. Even more exciting: every new episode will drop on Sundays, turning each weekend into appointment television. Season 2 Recap […]
THE 7:00 PM LIVE AD DESTROYED HIS EMPIRE: How a Betrayed Wife Used Her Husband’s Refinancing Frauds to Silently Dismantle a High-Profile Affair
I did not. I felt tired. Not the kind of tired that comes from losing sleep. The deeper kind. The kind that settles into your bones after years of pretending you are fine. My phone had not stopped buzzing all night. Calls. Texts. Private messages. Screenshots from people I had not spoken to since college. […]
THE SERVICE DOOR ESCAPE & THE TOXIC COFFEE: I Found My Husband’s Last Confession Minutes Before My Sons Trapped Me Inside Our Family Bungalow
The phone fell from my hand onto the Ambassador’s torn leather seat. For a moment, I could not hear the engine. Could not hear Baldeo kaka breathing hard through his nose. Could not hear Mumbai rain striking the windshield. Only one sentence existed. The body in my coffin belongs to the man our sons hired […]
End of content
No more pages to load
