BOURBON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — An alleged drunk driving crash over the weekend claimed the life of 27-year-old CJ McKee of Robertson County, leaving behind three young children and a devastated family.
According to his family, McKee was a passenger in the vehicle when the crash occurred Saturday night on Bethlehem Road in Bourbon County. The driver, a friend of McKee's identified as Nathaniel Pack, has been booked in the Bourbon County Detention Center on charges including reckless homicide, DUI and failure to wear a seat belt.
According to the arrest citation, Pack failed a breathalyzer test once police arrived on the scene. Officers say neither Pack nor McKee were wearing seatbelts.
McKee's mother, Missy McKee, received the devastating news through a phone call Saturday night.
The loss has left the family struggling to understand how a preventable tragedy took McKee's life. His teenage brother Matthew expressed his anger and confusion.
"If they weren't drunk, CJ could still be here. It just messes with my mind," Matthew said.
For Missy McKee, the grief is overwhelming.
"Oh I couldn't imagine ever losing my child…but then when it happens, it's like part of your soul goes away," she said. "My firstborn, 27-years-old, the man he was becoming....was amazing."
McKee was a stay-at-home father who leaves behind a son and two daughters. Family and friends remember McKee as the "life of the party" with a big heart and loyal spirit.
"If anybody needed anything he was gonna offer to help, he was a great person, so many people have texted and said 'He was my only true friend.' He didn't care who you were, if you were a part of his life, he was there to stay," Missy McKee said.
When asked what she would say to her son if she could speak to him one more time, she replied: "I love you, I'm sorry because you were so young."
On Wednesday, M&M on Main in Mt. Olivet will donate 15% of all sales to McKee's funeral fund. The restaurant will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Donations can also be made to the family's GoFundMe.
