Cherished Georgia teacher mourned following deadly crash with driver who was being pursued by ICE

A pile of flower bouquets left on the side of the road
Flowers left in memory of Linda Davis lie by the roadway Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at the site outside Savannah, Ga., where Davis was killed in a crash. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The kindergarten and first grade students in Linda Davis’ classes sobbed and shed tears after being told their teacher, who greeted them most mornings with an infectious smile, wouldn’t be coming back.

Davis, 52, was killed during her morning commute Monday, less than a half mile (0.8 kilometers) from the school where she taught students with special needs. Local and federal authorities say a Guatemalan man crashed his pickup truck into Davis’ car as he was fleeing a traffic stop by immigration officers.

“It was extremely difficult to tell 5 and 6 year olds that the teacher they loved and cherished will not be returning to see them,” said Alonna McMullen, principal of Herman W. Hesse K-8 School in Savannah’s southside suburbs. “To see the looks on their faces, it broke my heart.”