A GoFundMe campaign seeks donations to help cover funeral costs and support for Crystal Hall Njepu’s surviving children after a tragic river crash.
CHANNELVIEW, Texas — A GoFundMe has been set up to benefit the victims of a deadly San Jacinto River crash. Two children were saved from a sinking SUV. Sadly, a woman and her one-year-old daughter didn’t survive.
It happened at around 4:45 p.m. on Friday. Investigators said the woman, identified as Crystal Hall Njepu, 39, was driving an SUV near Market Street and River Haven in the Channelview area with her three kids when she possibly suffered a medical emergency.
That caused her to drive off the main road and onto a gravel road south of it. The vehicle stopped for about a minute, then accelerated into a grassy area and into the water.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle began to quickly sink as it was taken by a current under a bridge.
Njepu was found unresponsive and died at the scene. When the SUV was pulled from the water, her 1-year-old daughter, Annah, was found dead in her car seat.
Her two other children, a 5-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, were rescued by a witness who investigators said jumped in the water, broke a window and pulled them to safety. They’re both in good condition.
The GoFundMe, created by Njepu’s sister, is asking for donations to cover funeral costs and support the surviving children. Here’s a link.
The case remains under investigation.
Below is the news conference Major Collier held Friday evening.