Visa Violator Kills Four, Including Two Children, During a Family Vacation In Florida

Brittany M. Hughes | March 10, 2020
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A man who was reportedly living in the U.S. after violating his visa has been arrested after reportedly killing four vacationers in Florida last month after he failed to brake and rear-ended their vehicle.

According to local news media, five-year-old Scarlett Smith, her 41-year-old mother Julie, and their 76-year-old grandmother Josephine Fay were all killed when 26-year-old Lucas Dos Reis Laurindo slammed his pickup truck into the back of their Toyota Sienna minivan, causing the vehicle to flip. Jaxon Smith, 12, died the next day. The family was visiting Florida on a Disney vacation from Massachusetts when they were killed on Feb. 18

The family's grandfather, Shane, the father, Bill, and daughters Shalie and Skylar survived the crash.

Dos Reis Laurindo was issued a ticket for reckless driving, and is in jail on a visa violation after being arrested by federal authorities a week and a half after the crash.

“Under Florida law, the strongest charge that could be made against him, is a ticket issued for careless driving," Florida Highway Patrol said in a statement Monday.

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