Family of McGraw teen killed in crash raising money for funeral expenses

MCGRAW, N.Y. – The family of a Cortland County teen who was killed in a car accident in Groton on Sunday is raising funds to give the young woman a proper funeral.

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Brianna D. Copes, 18, was the passenger in a car that rolled over on Cortland/McLean Road early Sunday morning. She was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office.

Her family has set up a GoFundMe page and is looking to raise $7,000 to pay for the cost of a funeral.

"She was the life of the party, a complete goof ball," Syletha Ann Jones writes of her sister. "She was my family's heart. Please help us raise the money to give her a proper funeral."

So far, more than 30 people have donated about $1,500 toward the fundraising effort. A funeral date has not been announced.

Copes' death marks the latest in a string of recent tragedies in Cortland County.

In May, 16-year-old Amie Leland was killed in her home on Lincoln Avenue. Michael Hammond II, 23, has been charged with her murder.

A few weeks later, two Cortland County teens–Andrea F. Czimmer, 17, and Alexis R. Porter, 17–were killed in a car accident on I-81 in Preble. Czimmer lost control of the vehicle they were in, causing it to flip several times on Interstate 81 southbound, police said.

In April, a 6-year-old Virgil girl was killed in a drunk driving accident on West State Road. Her father, Daniel A. Haynes III, faces a slew of charges, including vehicular homicide.

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