Mariah Bailey-Collins

MUNDY TOWNSHIP, MI – Mariah Bailey-Collins wanted a fresh start.

So two months ago, the Mt. Morris Township woman escaped the cold Michigan winter for the warmth of Florida. Soon after, she met Bryan Collins on a beach and it was love at first sight.

The pair married in a small ceremony in Indiana last week and readied plans for a new life together in Florida.

Those dreams were ended Sunday night by a teen driving the wrong way on U.S. 23 in Mundy Township.



Police say the Swartz Creek teen, 18, was driving south on the northbound lanes about 10:15 p.m. Feb. 9 when he crashed into an oncoming car, killing Bailey-Collins and injuring her 11-year-old son and her new husband.

Bryan Collins, 28, was listed in fair condition while her 11-year-old son was in critical condition, police said. The Swartz Creek teen, who police believe got on the freeway at Hill Road, was treated for minor injuries, according to police.

Mundy Township Detective Mike Neering said the teen is in police custody. Investigators are awaiting toxicology results and will submit the case to the prosecutor's office for review.

Just days ago, the couple had exchanged loving messages on Facebook after updating their statuses to say they were married.

"This is to the most amazing wife I could ask for Mariah Bailey: I love you with all my heart," Collins wrote on Facebook.



"I love you, Bryan," she responded, followed by a heart.

Bailey-Collins' cousin, Tiffany Mooney, said Bailey-Collins seemed like a different person when she saw her in Florida.

"All I kept hearing from family members was how low she was in Michigan," she said. "Then here comes this guy and he completely turns all this around. I guess fate saw it differently."

Carrie Collins, Bryan's mother, said the two met on the beach in Florida about two months ago where he worked as a security guard.

"They knew it was right the first time they met," said Carrie Collins, who lives in South Carolina and was looking forward to meeting her new daughter-in-law for the first time. "She treated him like a king and kept a nice, clean Christian home."

She said her son had several broken bones, and was receiving treatment at Hurley Medical Center when she last talked to him late Sunday night.

Mooney said the family is still trying to pick up the pieces of a life that was "just ripped right out from under her." The crash could have been avoided, she said.

"This didn't need to happen," Mooney said. "No one deserved to do this. I wish it could have been different."

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call Neering at 810-655-4646.