Community mourns after Mount Olive middle school student dies in car crash

The Mount Olive Attendance Center community mourns the loss of one of its middle school students.

On Monday around 5:30 p.m., the Mississippi Highway Patrol responded to an accident on Highway 552 in Covington County. 12-year-old Josiah Hutton was pronounced dead at the scene. His cousin and driver of the vehicle, 17-year-old Tristan Hutton, was seriously injured, as was the driver of the other vehicle.

The Mount Olive Attendance Center expressed its condolences on social media and asked for prayers for Tristan, a 12th grader at the school.

“It is with our deepest sympathy that we extend our condolences to the family of Josiah Hutton,” part of the post reads. “He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. Those who knew him could not help but love his kind and gentle personality. Senior student Tristan Hutton was also involved in the accident and needs your prayers for comfort and healing.”

Josiah was in seventh grade. The accident is being investigated by the Mississippi Highway Patrol.