It is a loss of unimaginable scale. Five people died in a fiery wreck in Habersham County on Sunday. Among them were a mother and her two young children from Dahlonega.
Avonlea Holtzclaw was 29. Her son, Colt, and daughter, Maddie Kate, were just 6 and 5. Their husband and father is Hall County Sheriff’s Deputy Patrick Neil Holtzclaw. Holtzclaw recently joined the force in Hall County after eight years of distinguished law enforcement service in Lumpkin County.
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch issued a statement on Monday, pledging his support to Deputy Holtzclaw in the coming days, weeks, and months.
“What can you say when someone loses his entire family? There are no words that can adequately express the heartbreak the Holtzclaw family is experiencing right now, but clearly, our entire agency is devastated for them,” says Sheriff Couch.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, Avonlea Holtzclaw was attempting to cross GA 365 southbound onto Mt. Zion Road in a Ford Explorer. Mitchell Boggs, 58, of Marietta, was driving south on GA 365 in a Chevrolet Corvette and collided with Holtzclaw’s vehicle. Both vehicles erupted into flames.
Everyone involved died, including an unidentified passenger in Boggs’ vehicle.
Painful reminder and offers of help
Sunday’s wreck in Alto was horrific in and of itself, but it was also a painful reminder of the lives lost at that same intersection in southern Habersham County nearly two years ago.
In October 2021, 5-year-old Lincoln Burgess and his aunt, Cynthia Wade of Alto, died while attempting to cross the highway on Mt. Zion Road.
The weight of these deaths sits heavy on the hearts of those in public safety who responded. The desire to help is also equally as strong.
“We appreciate the many law enforcement agencies that have reached out asking how they can help. If I know our community, they will want to offer support, too. For now, we ask that you remember Deputy Holtzclaw in your prayers and give him time to grieve privately.”
Sunday’s fatal crash is the second involving young children from Lumpkin County in less than a week.
3-year-old Rocky Barron of Dahlonega died on July 13 when the car she was riding in slid down an embankment and overturned into the Chestatee River. Barron had close ties to the Habersham County community where some of her family members live. Her funeral is scheduled for Wednesday, July 19, at Whitfield Funeral Home in Demorest.
Funeral arrangements for the Holtzclaw family have not yet been announced.
RELATED
