Mom dies in car crash with deer 5 days after giving birth to twins, IN cops say

Five days after giving birth to twins as a first-time mom, an Indiana woman was killed in a crash involving a deer, police say.

The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office said a deer was hit by a car Oct. 25 near Paragon, and the animal was then flung into oncoming traffic.

The deer struck a second vehicle, killing a passenger, deputies said.

Sheriff’s officials identified the victim as 25-year-old Cheyenne Sears, of Spencer, according to WXIN.

Five days prior to the crash, Sears had given birth to twins named Caisley Nicole and Cohen Scott, according to a cousin.

“We are absolutely heartbroken,” Robert Nash, another cousin, said in a Facebook post. “Her babies will never get the chance to know the incredible mother she already was.”

The heartbreak was echoed by her husband, Coty Sears, who said on Facebook his “hurt is so unreal.”

The couple got married in December 2023, according to a social media post.

“I wasn’t supposed to do this alone,” the husband said in his Facebook post.

Cheyenne Sears worked as the assistant director of health services at The Springs, an assisted living facility in Mooresville, her employer said in a fundraiser.

She had worked her way up the company ladder, first as a nurse before later becoming an executive, according to WXIN.

“Cheyenne was a beloved part of our community whose warmth and dedication touched the lives of many residents and families,” Trilogy Health Services, which runs the facility, said in the fundraiser. “Her energy, positivity and love for her residents, teammates and community were unmatched.”

Company officials said she was “beyond excited... to be a new mom,” WXIN reported.

“You could just see the joy and the happiness that was once at the campus, now in a different role of being a mom,” Shane Nevers, the division vice president of operations for Trilogy, told the station.

Paragon is about a 40-mile drive southwest from Indianapolis.

This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 11:51 AM with the headline "Mom dies in car crash with deer 5 days after giving birth to twins, IN cops say."