Both 16-year-old Wakeland High School classmates were injured Sunday when a sled towed by a Jeep crashed in a neighborhood.
FRISCO, TX— A second teenager has died after a sled being towed by a Jeep struck a curb and hit a tree during Sunday’s winter storm in a northwest Frisco neighborhood, school and police officials said Wednesday.
Wakeland High School confirmed that sophomore Gracie Brito, 16, died from injuries sustained in the Jan. 25 crash, three days after her classmate and close friend, 16-year-old Elizabeth Angle, was pronounced dead. The teens were riding together on a sled when it collided with a curb and then a tree near Majestic Gardens Drive and Killian Court, according to Frisco police. The Jeep Wrangler was driven by a 16-year-old boy. Police said the investigation remains active and is being reviewed with the Denton County district attorney’s office. The deaths have shaken the school community already coping with severe weather that blanketed North Texas in ice and snow.
Police said the crash happened Sunday as ice lingered on residential streets. Officers and medics responded to the cul-de-sac area near Majestic Gardens shortly after calls about a serious injury crash involving a sled being towed by a vehicle. Both girls were taken to area hospitals; Angle died Sunday, and Brito, who had been listed in critical condition, died midweek. In a statement Wednesday, Frisco police said there was no indication alcohol was involved and emphasized the hazards posed by icy conditions. “This tragedy serves as a reminder of the dangers posed by winter weather conditions,” the department said. The neighborhood where the crash occurred is a subdivision of newer homes with narrow, tree-lined streets and small pocket parks that drew families outside between rounds of sleet.
School officials identified both students and offered support for classmates and teachers. Principal Donna Edge described Brito as a dedicated student involved in AP courses and cheerleading, and remembered Angle as a grounded teammate known for her strength and kindness on the soccer field. Wakeland staff prepared grief counseling for students, with additional counselors available as classes resume. The school said it would acknowledge both deaths during second period when students return. Families and friends gathered at a growing memorial near the crash site, leaving flowers, handwritten notes and school colors. Community members said the two girls were often seen together at games and practices, a friendship their parents said stretched from classrooms to weekends.
Police said the sled was attached to a Jeep Wrangler driven by a 16-year-old boy. Investigators said the sled hit a curb and then a tree, causing life-threatening injuries to both riders. Authorities have not released the name of the driver because he is a minor and has not been charged. Detectives are examining the vehicle, the tow setup and the surface conditions at the time of the crash. The Denton County district attorney’s office is consulting on potential findings; officials have not discussed whether the case could be presented to a grand jury. Police said any charging decision will follow completion of accident reconstruction and interviews with witnesses and families. No timetable for that review has been announced.
Angle’s family, who previously spoke about her love for soccer and her competitive spirit, said the teen died Sunday after being transported from the scene. Teammates from Wakeland and youth clubs recounted trips, tournaments and late practices, sharing short tributes on school channels. Brito’s family described her as bright and encouraging, the kind of person who checked on friends after tests and sent notes before meets. Her mother said the family planned to move forward with organ donation in accordance with her daughter’s wishes. The families asked for privacy as loved ones prepared to make arrangements. Both girls were 16 and sophomores at Wakeland, a Frisco ISD campus that enrolls students from neighborhoods across the city’s northwestern edge.
Neighbors said a band of freezing rain and sleet earlier in the weekend left side streets slick long after main roads were treated. Residents in the Majestic Gardens area described hearing a loud impact and then sirens. One neighbor, who declined to give his full name because of the ongoing investigation, said he ran toward the cul-de-sac and saw neighbors on phones directing first responders to the precise location. A small park space sits just off the crash site, where on Monday mourners began placing flowers and school scarves near a young tree. Several residents said children had been outside intermittently when temperatures rose above freezing between bands of precipitation, but ice remained in shaded areas.
Frisco police reiterated that there is no indication alcohol was involved and pushed back on speculation circulating on social media as detectives worked the case. Officials said investigators are documenting the scene conditions, including tire marks, curb height and the angle of the tree, to determine speed and trajectory. The department said it is standard practice to review fatal crashes with the district attorney’s office. Police did not release the Jeep’s exact speed, the length of the tow line or the make of the sled, citing the ongoing investigation. Officers asked residents who may have doorbell video from Sunday to contact detectives. The city did not report other serious sledding injuries on Sunday, but emergency rooms around North Texas reported an uptick in weather-related injuries during the storm.
At Wakeland, students and teachers shared memories during impromptu gatherings this week. A soccer assistant coach said Angle set the tone at practice by staying behind to help younger players, calling her “steady under pressure.” A cheer teammate said Brito was the one who led warmups and checked on classmates after exams. “They were best friends who backed each other up,” the teammate said, adding that both families were fixtures at games. As word of the second death spread Wednesday morning, students left cards at the front entrance and a poster inside the main hallway. Counselors coordinated small group sessions for athletes and classmates who trained closely with the two teens.
The Frisco Independent School District said it would continue providing counseling on campus and through district partners. The city said it will share updates from the police department once accident reconstruction is complete. Any decision on charges, if recommended by investigators, would be made in consultation with the Denton County district attorney, which could involve presenting evidence to a grand jury. No court filings had been made as of Wednesday. Police have not announced a news conference but said updates will be posted when available. Funeral arrangements had not been publicly released by either family on Wednesday afternoon.
By late Wednesday, flowers, candles and soccer and cheer items covered a patch of grass near the curb where the sled is believed to have struck. Parents arrived with students bundled against a biting wind, pausing quietly before stepping back to let others approach. “These sweet besties are together forever,” Elizabeth Angle’s mother, Megan Angle, wrote in a public tribute, adding that the girls were holding on to each other on the sled. Principal Edge said staff members were checking on teachers who coached or taught the two students and that the campus would share memorial plans after consulting with the families. Traffic flowed slowly around the subdivision as residents navigated remaining icy spots and city plows cleared intersections.
As of Wednesday evening, police said the investigation into the fatal crash remained open, with additional interviews and reconstruction steps underway. The next public update is expected after detectives complete a preliminary report and consult with the district attorney’s office in the coming days.
Author note: Last updated January 28, 2026.