Deborah Byrne, of Northampton, was browsing Facebook one day in May, when she began seeing tributes to her 21-year-old daughter Brogan Warren.
Confused, she scrolled through her news feed and saw more rest in peace posts in tribute to Brogan.
“I just remember seeing lots of RIP messages,” Deborah told The Sun newspaper.
One friend wrote “Gone too soon” while another Facebook user wrote “I can’t believe the news.
“Then a friend of Brogan’s wrote to me “I’m so sorry” in a private message, so I asked what the hell she was talking about.”
She said the friend told her “there had been a horrific crash the night before, on May 22, and she would be there for me.”
“That’s when I started screaming. Brogan was dead. At that moment my heart shattered.”
After confirming the tragic news, Deborah called her ex Joff, who she separated from 16 years ago. Joff is Brogan’s biological dad.
“He was devastated, couldn’t believe what I was telling him.”
Joff then told their eldest daughter, Taylia that her sister was dead.
Deborah received official word of Brogan’s death from Thames Valley Police on May 23 at 1 p.m. The police told her that Brogan was killed along with 3 of her friends, Sam Jones, 23, Nicoletta Tocco, 25, and Sam Kay, 26. The four friends died when a Citroen Saxo driven by Sam Jones was involved in a head on collision with a Mercedes being driven by a man from Swindon, Wiltshire.
The man survived the crash. He was hospitalized, along with his wife and their three-year-old child.
Deborah said she didn’t blame the police.
“I didn’t blame anyone, but it compounded my heartache. “The police said they’d knocked at my door in the early hours, but couldn’t raise me.
“I recall hearing the dog barking, but didn’t think anything of it.”
She police informed the other passengers’ families and she said that’s how the word spread on Facebook.
Toxicology reports found that Jones, the driver, had weed and alcohol in his system. His car drifted into the opposite lane causing the fatal crash.
“I never thought this would happen to our family. Brogan was such a lovely, kind girl and now we don’t have her anymore and I’ve been left with so much pain,” Deborah said.
