A tragic crash in Burnet County claimed the lives of five friends, sparking outrage over the suspect’s release without sobriety testing.
BURNET COUNTY, Texas — The birthday video is filled with laughter, smiles and singing. In the video, Thalia Salinas, 23, sits surrounded by her four closest friends — Ruby Cruz, Brianna Valadez, Jackie Velazco and Desiree Cervantes — as they sing to her, celebrating another year of life.
A week later, all five women were gone.
On July 25, the longtime friends were heading to the lake when, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety, a Dodge Ram 4500 pulling a horse trailer swerved into oncoming traffic on U.S. 281 in Burnet County. Investigators say the truck hit a Chevrolet Malibu head-on, then slammed into the Mercedes-Benz SUV carrying the five women. Their SUV overturned and caught fire.
All five were pronounced dead at the scene.
Thalia’s younger brother, Kaleb Salinas, says the last time he saw them was filled with joy.
“I was just goofing around with all five of them, and they were just so happy,” Salinas said. “I gave each one of them their last hug, and I truly… I’m glad I did.”
Ruby’s younger sister, Ana Cruz, said her final conversation with her sister came just hours before the crash.
“I told her I loved her and she told me she loved me too… and that was it, that was the last word,” Ana Cruz said. “Those were the last words that came out of my mouth that I loved.”
Thalia’s older brother, Sal Salinas, remembers the constant energy and noise in their home when the girls were together.
“Just an awesome, awesome person, very funny, very goofy… loved having a blast,” Salinas remembered. “Her favorite things to do were go to the beach, go to the lake, anything water… all five of them are regularly at her house… just watching videos, listening to music, a bunch of random laughter very loud through the walls here.”
Anger over driver leaving scene without testing
The driver accused of causing the crash, 37-year-old Kody Talley, was not tested for drugs or alcohol before being released from the scene, despite having what the families say is a lengthy and troubling criminal record.
“The biggest one that hits home for us is that they let him leave the scene. No sobriety test, nothing,” Thalia’s older brother said. “We’re discovering he had almost 23 DWIs, drug charges. It just sounds irresponsible and unfortunately, our five families got the bad end of it.”
Court records show Talley’s criminal history spans decades and multiple counties.
- DWIs and license violations: Talley has been arrested three times and convicted twice for driving while intoxicated. At the time of the crash, he was reportedly driving without a required ignition interlock device, which would have prevented him from starting the truck if he had alcohol in his system. He was also required to have a Class A license to drive the truck, but investigators say he didn’t have one.
- Assaults and protective order violations: Records show multiple assault charges and repeated violations of protective orders.
- Commercial driving questions: At the time of the crash, Talley was reportedly driving for his father’s company, hauling a trailer loaded with horses — something the families say raises questions about whether he should have been behind the wheel at all, given his history.
Public records indicate more than 20 charges filed against him in Williamson County alone, and at least two in Travis County.
According to an arrest affidavit, Talley’s truck swerved over the center divider into oncoming traffic before hitting the Malibu and then the SUV. Dashcam video reportedly confirmed the sequence of events.
Despite his history, Talley was allowed to leave the scene after refusing medical treatment — without submitting to a drug or alcohol test. Days later, he was arrested and charged with five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Families say charges aren’t enough
The women’s families say the charges could have been more serious if investigators had conducted testing that day.
“We’re just extremely devastated,” Kaleb Salinas said. “I’m also confused on why they would just let him leave. There’s no words to describe that.”
They’re now pushing for answers — and accountability — from law enforcement and the trucking company Talley was driving for.
As they wait, they cling to the memories of the last time they saw their loved ones — laughing, hugging and singing together.
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