Family, friends remember 16-year-old NKY cheerleader who died days after crash

COLD SPRING, Ky. (WXIX) - A 16-year-old girl died days after she was critically hurt in a crash in Northern Kentucky, according to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.

Ava Markus, a cheerleader at Campbell County High School, was pronounced dead on Tuesday at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, a coroner’s report shows.

She was taken to the hospital from a crash involving a semi-tractor-trailer and an SUV that collided on 4000 Alexandria Pike about 6 p.m. Oct. 2, Campbell County Fire Chief Dan Schultz said.

Firefighters extricated Ava from the SUV in five to seven minutes and transported her in an ambulance to the hospital, the chief tells FOX19 NOW.

Friends and family gathered at the Brass Key coffee shop for a vigil in Ava’s honor Wednesday night.

“We’re just here for them,” said Bunny Close, a friend of the Markus family. “We want to show them all the support and love and that the community is behind them.”

Close says Ava’s death has inspired the community to come together.

Cold Spring police are heading up the investigation with the assistance of an accident reconstruction team.

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