Rylan Oncale meets his girlfriend, Taliyah Crochet, and two friends just after finishing his first 28-day shift as a deckhand on an oil rig.

The teens enjoy a much-needed night out together on dry land, then pile into Rylan’s Kia Rio to head back to Raceland, taking Highway 3090 inland from the coast.

As Rylan drives through the 1 a.m. darkness, he spots a set of headlights coming towards him. As the car gets closer, Rylan realizes the oncoming Jeep is driving in his lane. Rylan swerves into the left lane to avoid the wrong-way driver, but the Jeep also moves into the left lane and slams into the teens head-on.

The front end of Rylan’s Kia Rio is completely caved in. First responders arrive within minutes, pulling the occupants from the wreckage, but Taliyah is already gone. Rylan is rushed to a hospital, where he also dies of his injuries. The couple’s two friends riding in the back seat also have serious injuries but are stabilized at the hospital.

The Jeep Cherokee is occupied only by driver Axel Flores-Cordoza, who is found completely unharmed despite not wearing a seatbelt. Flores-Cordoza, 18, is unlicensed, has open alcohol in his cupholder, and is clearly drunk.

The teen voluntarily submits to a breath test that results in a BAC just under .14, equivalent to seven times the .02 legal limit in Louisiana for drivers under 21, and nearly twice the limit for drivers of legal drinking age. 

Joining Nancy Grace Today:

• Devin Deen  - Mother of Taliyah Crochet
• Eric Faddis – Partner at Varner Faddis Elite Legal; Former Felony Prosecutor and Current Criminal Defense and Civil Litigation Attorney; Instagram: @e_fad @varnerfaddis; TikTok: @varnerfaddis
• Sunny Wall - Executive Director, MADD Louisiana; FB: https://www.facebook.com/MADDLouisiana
• Dr. Jan Gorniak – Medical Examiner, Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner (Las Vegas, NV), Board Certified Forensic Pathologist
• Sydney Sumner - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter