It was supposed to be one of the happiest nights of their lives — a milestone every teenager looks forward to. Instead, it became a night their families and community in County Monaghan, Ireland, will never forget.
On a summer evening in July 2023, 17-year-old Kiea McCann and 16-year-old Dlava Mohamed were on their way to their school formal, dressed in beautiful gowns and full of excitement. They never made it.
The girls were passengers in a car driven by 61-year-old family friend Anthony McGinn. Also in the vehicle were Dlava’s older sister, Avin, and 18-year-old Oisin Clerkin. According to investigators, the short drive to the event turned deadly when McGinn ignored multiple pleas from the teenagers to slow down.
As the car raced along the winding country roads, witnesses later testified that McGinn was driving nearly twice the legal speed limit — reaching 94 mph in a 50-mph zone. Within moments, he lost control of the vehicle. It veered off the road and crashed violently into a tree.
The impact was catastrophic.
Kiea and Dlava, seated side by side in the back, were killed instantly. When emergency responders arrived, the two girls were still holding hands.
Family games
Their friend Oisin and Dlava’s sister Avin survived but were critically injured. Avin spent months in the hospital, enduring multiple surgeries and long rehabilitation. For weeks, she was unaware that her younger sister was gone. When she finally learned the truth, she said the guilt of having invited Dlava to the formal nearly broke her.
“I lost my best friend and my sister in one moment,” Avin later told reporters. “We were supposed to be laughing and taking pictures, not saying goodbye.”
During the investigation, police confirmed that McGinn had ignored repeated warnings from his passengers. The evidence showed a pattern of reckless driving, with no attempt to brake before impact. The court later heard that the crash was not the result of poor weather or road conditions, but of deliberate recklessness and disregard for safety.
In May 2025, McGinn pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death. The judge sentenced him to seven years in prison and banned him from driving for twenty years.
For the grieving families, the sentence offered little comfort.
“Seven years — that’s all?” said Teresa McCann, Kiea’s mother, speaking through tears outside the courthouse. “Two beautiful girls are gone forever, and this is what justice looks like? My child’s life is never coming back.”
The judge, while acknowledging the families’ pain, called the crash “a profound betrayal of trust.” McGinn had been a family friend — someone the girls trusted to get them safely to their prom. Instead, his choices destroyed two young lives and devastated everyone who loved them.
Kiea’s father arrived at the crash site before emergency crews. He tried desperately to revive his daughter and her best friend, performing CPR until help arrived. “He couldn’t let go,” one witness said. “He kept saying, ‘Come on, girls. Stay with me.’”
The tragedy sent shockwaves through Monaghan, a small community where everyone knew the two inseparable girls. Schools, churches, and neighbors came together in mourning. Vigils filled the town with flowers, candles, and ribbons — pink and white, the girls’ favorite colors.
At their joint funeral, classmates spoke through tears about their laughter, friendship, and dreams that would now go unrealized. Dlava had dreamed of becoming a nurse; Kiea wanted to work in fashion. Both were remembered as bright, kind, and full of life.
Their story has since become a heartbreaking reminder of how one reckless decision can destroy so many lives. Parents and schools across Ireland have since used their memory to raise awareness about road safety and responsible driving.
School supplies
Two best friends left home for a night of celebration. They never came back. Yet in their final moments, they were together — hands clasped, just as they had been in life.
🕊️ Rest in peace, Kiea McCann and Dlava Mohamed.
Gone far too soon, but forever remembered.
