Nationwide — Three Black American siblings, Emmanuel DeLeon, Kairu Winkelpleck, and Njeri DeLeon, tragically died in a devastating car crash during a family vacation in Kenya. The crash killed two children at the scene, while the eldest later died in intensive care. Both parents survived.
The siblings, who were from Waterloo, Iowa, were traveling with their family earlier this month when the crash happened in Soysambu, Gilgil, along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway. Local Kenyan media described the incident as a severe road accident that shocked both the family and the surrounding community.
Emmanuel DeLeon, 13, and his younger brother Kairu Winkelpleck, 6, died at the scene. Their sister, Njeri DeLeon, 16, was taken to a hospital and placed in the intensive care unit. Days later, she also died from her injuries.
According to People, the crash happened on January 4 during what was meant to be a dream family trip. While the parents did not suffer major physical injuries, they were left grieving the loss of all three children while still in a foreign country.
A GoFundMe was created to help cover medical and funeral costs, as well as travel expenses tied to the tragedy. It has so far raised nearly $76,000.
Back in Iowa, Hoover Middle School, where Emmanuel was an eighth grader, noted the tragedy in a social media post. The school later held a balloon release in his memory, with staff and community members gathering to show support for the family.
A joint memorial service for Emmanuel, Njeri, and Kairu was later held at the International Christian Centre in Nairobi. During the service, their mother, Wangui Ndirangu, spoke about the pain of losing her children and her wish for more time with them.
“No words can truly describe this moment,” Ndirangu said. “This is only to express where our hearts are. If I had known I would lose all of you in one day, I would have turned back the hands of time and done a million things differently. I would have laughed with you more, listened more, and spent even more time with you. I would have been more careful, more attentive, pushed you more, and said ‘I love you’ more often.”