The quiet country roads of Monroe County turned into the backdrop of an unimaginable heartbreak late Monday night. Around Tompkinsville, people know each other by name, and news travels fast, but nobody was ready for the news that broke just before 11 p.m. An 18-year-old local girl, Lesly Chalchi-Gomez, lost her life in a sudden single-vehicle accident that has left the entire town stunned.
Lesly was just at the beginning of her adult life, full of energy and plans for the future. Friends and family in Tompkinsville remember her as a bright, warm presence who brought genuine joy to everyone around her. Now, a community that usually comes together to celebrate milestones is rallying to support a grieving family facing their darkest days.
The tragedy unfolded along KY 63, locally known as Old Glasgow Road, a rural stretch of pavement that cuts through the rolling hills outside town. It was a clear, quiet evening until a 2000 Plymouth Neon carrying two local teenagers drifted off course. Within moments, a normal late-night drive turned into a terrifying wreck.
Investigating troopers say the compact car was heading northbound when it suddenly left the right side of the roadway. The sedan smashed directly into an earth embankment along the roadside, causing the vehicle to overturn and flip out of control. The force of the impact caused catastrophic damage to the small passenger car.
First responders rushed to the scene after emergency calls came in around 11 p.m. Units from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Monroe County Fire and EMS, and state troopers filled the dark roadway with flashing red and blue lights. Despite the best efforts of emergency crews, there was nothing they could do to save young Lesly.
The Monroe County Coroner’s Office pronounced Lesly dead right at the scene due to fatal injuries suffered in the rollover. The driver of the car, 18-year-old Garrett Tingle, managed to survive the violent crash with non-life-threatening injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency medical treatment.
As Senior Trooper Brandon Roark of Kentucky State Police Post 15 leads the ongoing investigation into what caused the car to leave the road, the people of Tompkinsville are holding Lesly’s loved ones close in their thoughts. Her memory lives on in the town she called home, where a grieving community is trying to find comfort in shared stories and quiet prayers.
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