‘Inseparable’: Wichita-area couple who died Sunday after crash had big plans together

Nathaniel Ashworth and Alyna Elder met a few years ago during an overnight youth event at Tyler Road Baptist Church in Wichita. They instantly became inseparable.

On Monday, a joint funeral will be held for them at the church.

Ashworth and Elder, ages 19 and 20, died Sunday when they were hit head-on in a rural area just east of Derby by an Augusta man driving a stolen truck and fleeing from police. Elder was driving them to her parents’ 25th wedding anniversary party at the community center in Rose Hill when the crash happened.

Elder’s mother, Charlene Elder, recalled helping at the youth event between her family’s church, Riverview Baptist Church, and Tyler Road Baptist Church where the two met. The all-nighter was rough for her, but it created a fond memory.

“It’s horrible for the adult mom who is too old to be staying up all night,” Elder said, but for her daughter, it ended up being the place she would find a life partner. “It was so cute … They just met but they were acting like they knew each other forever.”

Later that year, Ashworth asked Elder to be his girlfriend at Winter Jam — a popular Christian music tour.

Their lives

They had big plans together.

Ashworth, who had just graduated from Goddard Academy high school, had been saving up to buy Elder the ring he felt she deserved, Charlene Elder said.

“They were enamored by each other from day one,” she said. “And their love just grew even more.”

Alyna Elder’s parents said their daughter was forgiving, loving, optimistic and an animal lover — she had a rescued blue heeler mix named Snoopie and a tarantula named Ember.

“She called them her babies and she referred to them as her and Nathaniel’s children,” she said.

Tyler Road Baptist Church senior pastor Bryan Jones said he first met Ashworth seven years ago when he started coming to the church with his grandmother. He continued to come after her death and was a regular for services and youth group.

He also went on two mission trips with the church — Elder’s parents said the couple was planning to go on one together as well.

“Very compassionate, cared about people,” Jones said about Ashworth. “Really after he got involved in church and got to the Lord (he) really loved to study the Bible, loved to hang out with other kids in the youth group and just talk about the Bible, talk about life.”

Ashworth’s family did not respond to requests to comment.

Elder’s parents said the young couple each had high-functioning autism, which made their accomplishments all the more impressive.

“Things that other people take for granted, like getting a driver’s license, they worked so hard for it,” Scott Elder said.

Alyna Elder made good grades and graduated from Rose Hill High School in 2021, her parents said.

Despite living 30 minutes apart — she in Rose Hill and he in Wichita — the two devoted as much time as they could to each other.

Elder would visit Ashworth at his parents’ house and help with laundry and whatever else he needed and just come home to sleep, Charlene Elder said.

In April, Alyna Elder started working with her mother at aerospace manufacturer Leading Technology Composites. She loved the work and had planned to make a career out of it.

She was also trying to get Ashworth a job there.

Last day together

On Sunday morning, Elder woke up worried about her dog. She suspected he had eaten Reese’s peanut butter cups that were in her room and had concerns that he might die.

It was on her mind all day, even long after she rushed out the door to go to church with Ashworth.

That afternoon, she had called her mother, worried about Snoopie. Charlene Elder was helping gather a couple of things for her anniversary party and felt she was short with her daughter.

She didn’t remember if she said “I love you,” but figures she did — it was second nature.

Charlene Elder snapped a photo of Snoopie after he jumped up on the back porch. Alyna Elder thanked her, and told her that was all she wanted.

Charlene Elder didn’t respond.

Bank statements showed Alyna Elder had last gone to Tails & Scales Pet Shop. She was getting roaches for her tarantula, Charlene Elder said.

Scott Elder said he told his daughter, who wasn’t known for being punctual, earlier that day how important it was for her to be on time for the 3 p.m. party.

The crash was reported before 3 p.m. less than 10 minutes outside of Rose Hill.

A family member who was headed to the party had seen the wreck and wondered if the truck was his cousin’s. He thought she was OK since her truck was still upright, while the other wasn’t, Charlene Elder said.

But Alyna Elder and Ashworth weren’t responding, leaving her parents to think she was involved in the crash.

Charlene Elder’s sister took her to the scene, where they were met by a police roadblock. Elder was asking questions, but the officer there didn’t know answers. Soon, an officer came up, took off his hat, and told her that her daughter and Ashworth had both died.

“Now I realize that that wasn’t supposed to be a celebration of us, that it was supposed to be God’s way of getting all of my family and close friends together to be there to comfort us whenever he took the kids home to be with him,” she said. “I know they’re not lost. I know exactly where they are at.”

“It’s hard for me to not have her here any more to hug,” she said through tears.

Jimmy Franklin Guinn III, 20, was hospitalized after the crash before being arrested on suspicion of two counts of second-degree murder, possession of stolen property, fleeing or attempting to elude and failure to stop at an accident.

Andover Police Chief Buck Buchanan said Sunday that police called off the chase before the crash. He did not respond to a Wednesday call from The Eagle.

Charlene Elder said Guinn is a “young man who made poor decisions in his life or at least that day.” She said he will have to pay for that last decision, but she hopes he can find “peace and God’s love.”

About his daughter, Scott Elder said: “She forgave with all her heart and she would probably forgive him, I’m sure. Although I could not, she could.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to help with funeral expenses for the couple. It raised more than $14,200 of the $18,000 goal as of late Wednesday night. The fundraiser can be found at rb.gy/r6e0e