An 8-year-old Idaho girl who loved horses, cattle drives and giving calves elaborate names was the child killed Friday when a pickup driven by a Wyoming man towing a livestock trailer overheated and burst into flames while on Ashton Hill.
Kynzlee Rae Luthy, of Hibbard, died in the Oct. 9 incident on U.S. Highway 20 north of Ashton, Idaho, her mother, Rachel Luthy, confirmed Monday to Cowboy State Daily.
Kynzlee was traveling with close family friends when the fire happened, her mother said.
Idaho State Police said she was riding in a 2003 Chevrolet 2500 driven by a 26-year-old man from Thayne, Wyoming, with a 23-year-old woman from Rexburg also in the pickup.
Kynzlee's parents were not at the scene.
The pickup was near the top of Ashton Hill at about 5:23 p.m. Friday when it caught fire.
The Wyoming driver was taken by air ambulance to a hospital. The Rexburg woman was taken by ground ambulance.
Their conditions have not been released.
Authorities did not return a request for additional information Monday about what caused the mechanical problem or how the fire spread.
The incident remains under investigation by Idaho State Police.
Smoke Ahead
Sabrina Wilson Birch was traveling toward Ashton that evening when she first noticed smoke in the distance.
“We actually saw the smoke before we came across the river on approach to the Ashton Hill, but it was pretty faint at that time,” Birch told Cowboy State Daily.
As they got closer, the scene became clearer.
Birch said there were about 20 or more vehicles ahead of them, and a plume of black smoke rising from the area.
Her date walked closer to see what was happening. He saw horses alongside the highway waiting for transportation, Birch said.
Birch also watched an air ambulance "arrive and slowly circling around to land, but we could not see it land,” she said.
Women walking back from the scene told Birch someone was being taken by Life Flight.
ISP later confirmed the 26-year-old driver was transported by air ambulance.
Unicorns And Rainbows
Kynzlee loved horses and cattle and had recently gotten a horse of her own.
Born April 27, 2018, she lived her entire life in Hibbard, a small community near Rexburg, and attended Hibbard Elementary School, reads her obituary.
She loved animals and had recently gotten a horse of her own.
She helped move and sort cattle and went with her family during fall roundup, when she loved camping.
Even the calves became characters in Kynzlee's world.
She gave them names including “twilight sparkle sprinkles,” “spotty butt” and “mohawki."
She built forts, collected stuffed animals and loved unicorns and rainbows.
Her obituary remembers a little girl who loved giving hugs and could make friends wherever she went.
Kynzlee is survived by her parents, Rachel and Russ Luthy, and her brother, Brady.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
