St. Pauls High mourning the loss of 11th-grade student

Jessica Horne, The Robesonian, Lumberton, N.C.
·2 min read

May 9—ST. PAULS — St. Pauls High School is mourning the death of an 11th-grade student who lost her life in a car crash over the weekend.

School Principal Jason Suggs made the announcement Monday of the passing of 17-year-old Bethany Kinlaw to students at the school. Kinlaw passed away after being involved in a car crash on Saturday.

Suggs said his "thoughts and prayers are with the family" and everyone who knew and loved Kinlaw.

He told The Robesonian he planned to visit the family with a social worker on Monday to discuss needs.

Kinlaw is described as a quiet student who always "had a positive attitude," according to Shitan Jones, a social studies teacher at the Public Schools of Robeson County Early College at Robeson Community College.

Jones remembers having Kinlaw as a student in her classroom during Kinlaw's freshman year of high school. Jones also told The Robesonian her son attended school with Kinlaw at SPHS and during her previous stint at Antioch Christian Academy.

"She was very humble," she said.

Jones said she was shocked to hear of Kinlaw's passing and extends sympathy to the family of her former student.

"It's just tragic whenever you hear a story like this, especially with someone so young," she said.

"It tugs on your heartstrings," Jones said, of losing a student.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded about 9:33 p.m. Saturday to the crash on Barker Ten Mile Road, about 2.3 miles north of Lumberton, according to Sgt. H.P. Locklear, of the State Highway Patrol.

Kinlaw died after the 2021 Dodge passenger car she was driving ran off the road to the right and collided with a ditch and driveway culvert, Locklear said. She was not wearing a seat belt and was pinned in the vehicle.

According to the preliminary report, no roadway conditions were listed as contributing factors to the crash, he said. Speed is considered a factor in the crash.

Kinlaw was traveling at an estimated 70 mph in a 55 mph zone, Locklear said.

The Public Schools of Robeson County also released a statement Monday extending sympathy to Kinlaw's family.

"The Public Schools of Robeson County was saddened to learn about a car crash on Saturday that claimed the life of a student at St. Pauls High School," a statement on the PSRC Facebook page reads.

"Counselors will be on campus to assist any students that are in need of support in response to this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers will be with the family and friends of the student in the difficult days ahead," the school district's statement reads.

Stay with Robesonian.com as more information becomes available.

Reach Jessica Horne at 910-416-5165 or via email at jhorne@robesonian.com.