Billericay: Tributes to 'dearly loved' daughter after fatal collision

The family of a woman who died in a collision in Crays Hill have paid tribute to a “loved daughter, sister and granddaughter”.

Kelsie Stevens, 19, sadly died at the scene of a single-vehicle collision in the area of Oak Road, in the early hours of Saturday 25 May.

Officers were called at 12.35am and worked alongside ambulance and fire service colleagues after establishing a black Mercedes CLK car had left the road and entered a ditch.

'Kelsie was dearly loved by us all'

In a joint statement, Kelsie’s family said:

“Kelsie was a dearly loved daughter, sister and granddaughter and friend to everyone that knew her.
“Kelsie worked as a lash technician. She enjoyed dancing, horse riding, cooking, baking listening to music and spending her time with her Dachshund.
“We have not made any arrangements at this stage regarding Kelsie’s funeral. All of us will greatly miss Kelsie very much.
“We request to be left alone and allowed to grieve at this very difficult time.”

Our enquiries into the collision are ongoing.

Four men and one woman remain on bail with conditions while our investigation continues.

We continue to appeal for anyone with information or footage which could assist our enquiries to come forward.

Anyone with information should contact us as soon as possible.

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Detectives investigating a fatal collision in Crays Hill have made several arrests and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Officers were called to the scene of a single-vehicle collision in the area of Oak Road shortly after 12.35am on Saturday 25 May.

Alongside ambulance and fire service colleagues, officers worked hard at the scene after establishing a Mercedes car had left the road and entered a ditch.

Sadly, a 19-year-old woman was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Her family have been informed.

As a result of ongoing enquiries, we have made a number of arrests as we look to establish the circumstances surrounding the collision.

Four males, aged 74, 54, 18 and 16, all from Billericay, and one woman, aged 20, from Rayleigh, were arrested on Saturday and questioned in connection with the collision.

They have each since been bailed with conditions while enquiries continue.

Our investigation is ongoing.

Officers are appealing for anyone who may have seen the vehicle in question, a black Mercedes CLK, in the hours leading up to the collision, to come forward.

Detective Sergeant Steve Holmes, of our Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said:

“Our work has been continuing throughout the weekend to piece together the circumstances which led up to this horrific incident.
“This collision has cost a young woman her life and we will work tirelessly to establish what happened to cause her death.
“We need people who may have been on the road, in the area of Basildon and Billericay, in the hours before this collision on the evening of Saturday 25 May, to think back to what they may have seen.
“In particular if you saw a car matching this description, a black Mercedes CLK, we want to hear from you.
“It may be your attention was drawn to the manner of driving, or perhaps you have dash cam footage which could be reviewed after you drove in an area near to where the collision took place.
“We believe there were likely four occupants of the vehicle that night – two men and two women.”