Delaware County woman charged in 2023 crash that killed pregnant daughter, grandchildren

MUNCIE, Ind. — A Delaware County woman is accused of ingesting controlled substances before a vehicle she was driving crashed, leading to the deaths of her pregnant daughter and two grandchildren.

Amy A. Carter, 55, of Daleville, was charged this week in Delaware Circuit Court 2 with three counts of causing death when driving with a controlled substance in system, a Level 4 felony carrying up to 12 years in prison.

On Feb. 19, 2023, Carter was driving a Chevrolet HHR northbound on Delaware County Road 600 West, south of Ind. 67, when the SUV left the east side of the road, struck a concrete culvert and overturned several times before coming to rest on its passenger side in a field.

A passerby was able to help Carter out of the vehicle, but a fire then erupted, killing the three passengers in the SUV. The victims were Carter's 28-year-old daughter, Alexis N. "Lexi" Strader, and her two children — son, Jonah Strader, who had celebrated his third birthday a few days earlier, and Laila Strader, at the time four months shy of her second birthday.

According to a crash report, all of the victims suffered severe burns, and the vehicle burned "in its entirety." The document also noted Alexis Strader was seven months pregnant at the time of her death.

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An affidavit filed Wednesday alleged that blood tests showed Carter had "high levels" of Lorazepam — a prescription medication at times used to treat anxiety — and THC, a chemical most commonly associated with marijuana, at the time of the crash.

Carter told a Delaware County sheriff's deputy she was "attempting to give something in her lap to a back-seat passenger" when her SUV left the road, according to the crash report. The document indicated the children, in child restraint seats, were in the back seat.

Court records reflect no prior charges against the Daleville woman.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Delaware County woman charged in crash that killed daughter, grandkids