The quiet stretch of U.S. Highway 27 in Haines City turned tragic just after midnight Friday, when a violent two-vehicle crash claimed the life of a young woman whose journey ended far from home. Authorities say 24-year-old Jovanna Saily Reyes of Bowling Green died at the scene after her car veered off the highway and crashed into a church building.
It happened around 12:29 a.m. on April 17, 2026. Deputies and fire rescue crews rushed to the area near B. Moore Road after receiving reports of a serious collision. When they arrived, the scene was already grim. A heavily damaged 2020 Hyundai Sonata had torn through a chain-link fence and slammed into the outer wall of the First Apostolic Pentecostal Church.
Investigators say the crash began moments earlier on the highway. Reyes’ vehicle collided with a 2019 Volvo semi-truck pulling a trailer. The impact forced her car off the roadway. It crossed the median, drifted across lanes, and continued out of control until it struck the church property.
First responders found Reyes inside the wreckage. She had suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The force of the crash left little chance for survival.
The driver of the semi-truck, also a 24-year-old woman, was not hurt. She stayed at the scene and has been fully cooperating with investigators. Authorities say she had been traveling southbound before making a legal U-turn to head north. She told deputies she saw an oncoming vehicle in the distance before starting the turn.
Detectives later determined that Reyes’ car hit the side of the trailer and partially went underneath it. From there, the vehicle continued forward without control. Investigators also noted something unusual—there were no visible skid marks before the impact, suggesting the car may not have slowed down.
For hours, both sides of U.S. 27 were shut down as crews worked through the wreckage and gathered evidence. By sunrise, the road had reopened, but the weight of what happened lingered.
Authorities believe speed may have played a role in the crash. At this point, no charges are expected, and the investigation is still ongoing. For now, a family in Bowling Green is left grieving a life that ended too soon.
