Barbara and Alex Rocha.Credit : Lacy Funeral Home

NEED TO KNOW

A woman and her 7-year-old son died after a car careened into their Texas home in the early hours of March 22
Her elder son heard her praying before she died, according to a local report
The driver, Gracie Yates, was arrested and charged with two counts of criminally negligent homicide, police said

A mom and her 7-year-old son died after a car crashed into their Texas home early one Sunday morning. The woman’s elder son heard her issue a prayer before she died, according to reports.

“We’re never going to see them again, but it’s something that we’re going to have to deal with,” Alfredo Rocha told CBS affiliate KTVT of the deaths of his mom, Barbara Rocha, and his 7-year-old brother, Alex Rocha, on Sunday, March 22, at the family home in Stephenville.

That morning, at approximately 3:26 a.m. local time, officials responded to a report that a vehicle had left the road and hit a residence in the 200 block of North Ollie Street, the Stephenville Police Department said in a statement. When first responders arrived, they found multiple people with injuries, who were then transported to a nearby hospital.

“Despite life-saving efforts, two of the individuals, an adult female and a juvenile male, were pronounced deceased,” officials said.

The victims were later identified as Barbara and Alex, KTVT, ABC affiliate WFAA and FOX affiliate KDFW reported.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as Gracie Yates, was arrested and charged with two counts of criminally negligent homicide, police said. According to Erath County Jail records, the woman was released on Tuesday, March 24, on $29,000 bond. It is unclear whether Yates has secured legal representation.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

The jail and the Stephenville Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further information.

When the Rocha family went to sleep on Saturday night, the mother and her young son were in the same bedroom, KTVT reported. When the car struck the house early the next morning, Alfredo told the outlet that he could hear his brother’s cries.

“All I hear is [Alex’s] voice. He’s all like, ‘Help me, help me,’” the young man recalled, according to the report. During Barbara’s last moments, Alfredo heard her say a prayer in Spanish, “The blood of Christ can do anything.”

Yates, who is 18, was arrested at the scene, according to KTVT.

The Rocha family is reeling from the unexpected loss.

“It’s just one stupid decision. Could have prevented all of this,” Alfredo told the outlet.

Gracie Yates.Erath County Sheriff’s Office

In an interview with KDFW, Raul Rocha remembered his mom.

“My mom does not deserve this,” Raul told the outlet. “She was so sweet. She always cared about us. She cared about anybody around her.”

He’s devastated that he won’t be able to see his little brother grow up.

“The thing I’m going to miss, whenever I go visit, he comes up and hugs me and says, ‘I missed you,’ ” Raul told KDFW. “I’m never going to get that again.”

A friend of Barbara’s husband created a GoFundMe to help the family cover funeral costs and temporary housing.

“The shock and pain of this loss are unimaginable,” wrote the organizer, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, “and now he’s left to pick up the pieces of his life while grieving for those he loved most.”

The friend added, “His life will never be the same.”