16-year-old with ‘contagious’ smile found dead in car engulfed in flames, GA cops say
A community is mourning the loss of 16-year-old Liv Teverino, who Georgia police say died when her car crashed into a tree and burst into flames.
“Her smile was contagious and she was never seen without it,” her cross country team wrote in a social media tribute.
First responders received a call around 5:30 p.m. Sept. 18 of a car that had crashed into a tree and was “engulfed in flames,” according to a news release from the Marietta Police Department.
When the fire was extinguished, Marietta police said they found Teverino had been trapped inside. She “did not survive the crash,” police said.
The junior at Marietta High School was a “scholar, athlete and community leader,” Marietta City Schools Superintendent Grant Rivera told families in a message obtained by McClatchy News.
Teverino was on her school’s state championship cross country team, she was an International Baccalaureate student and she was part of this year’s Cobb Youth Leadership cohort, according to Rivera.
Students’ absences were excused the day after her death, Rivera said, as the community grieves her loss.
One parent said on Facebook that her child, who was classmates with Teverino, is “asking questions I don’t have the answers to.”
Teverino’s cross country team reflected on her memory in an Instagram tribute.
“To know Liv was to know joy,” the post reads. “She loved big and we are going to miss her big. We love you Liv and we know this is not goodbye, just a see ya later.”
A photo posted on Facebook shows her parking spot at school decorated with bouquets of flowers and messages of love.
“In remembering Liv, we don’t just recall her achievements but the heart, spirit, and determination with which she achieved them,” Rivera wrote in his message.
Marietta is about 20 miles northwest of Atlanta.
This story was originally published September 20, 2023 at 2:40 PM with the headline "16-year-old with ‘contagious’ smile found dead in car engulfed in flames, GA cops say."