A Saturday morning bike ride near Williamston, Michigan, ended in unthinkable loss for one family.

Twelve-year-old Calvin Shepard was killed and his 13-year-old sister, Karalee, remains in critical condition after an SUV struck the siblings as they rode together on the shoulder of Grand River Avenue in Leroy Township.

Their parents, Cody and Raquel Shepard, now face a grief almost too large to hold: burying one child while sitting vigil beside the other.

“Please don’t stop praying. She’s not out of the woods yet,” Raquel has pleaded.

Friends say Karalee suffered a severe head injury. She survived the impact that took her brother’s life, but her condition remains precarious. Both children were wearing helmets. Police say drugs and alcohol do not appear to have been factors. The investigation continues.

Those who know the family describe Raquel as the kind of mother who spends her summers encouraging other people’s children. She coached swimming this year. April, who shared the family’s story, said Raquel coached her own child and called her a woman who consistently showed up for kids who weren’t even hers.

Now the community is trying to show up for hers.

A church-organized fundraiser has drawn an outpouring of support to ease funeral costs and the sudden financial strain of hospital bills. No amount of money, however, changes what Cody and Raquel are living through inside that hospital room: a son gone, a daughter still fighting, and a mother reminding everyone that encouraging updates are not the same as safety.

Pray for Karalee’s brain and body to heal.
Pray for the doctors and nurses beside her.
Pray for two parents who must mourn Calvin while they keep fighting for the chance to bring their daughter home.

A brother and sister went out on their bikes. One family is now preparing a funeral and begging God not to ask them to prepare another.

Please don’t stop praying.

Sources: Michigan State Police reports and local coverage from WLNS 6 News, WILX News 10, and the Lansing State Journal (Sept. 5–7, 2026); family statements shared by friends of Cody and Raquel Shepard.