‘Okay Baby’ TikTok Star’s Mom Says Family Are Living a ‘Nightmare’ as She Shares ‘Update’ Following 2-Year-Old’s Death

The mother of Preston Ordone is sharing further details about the fatal car crash that killed the 2-year-old in Louisiana last month.

On Wednesday, May 14, a post shared to Katelynn Ordone’s Instagram account thanked “everyone who has been here for us during this time.”

“Nothing will take away the pain we feel and how much we miss Preston every single day, but it is helpful to have such a strong support system in the midst of living our worst nightmare,” the caption read.

Preston is the son of Katelynn and Jaelen Ordone, who are known for their viral “Okay Baby” TikTok account. On the day of the April 24 crash, Louisiana State Police shared a press release stating that the vehicle Preston was traveling in, a 2011 Ford F-150, “veered off the roadway to the right and struck a tree.”

Police stated it was a “single-vehicle crash” that occurred “on Interstate 12, west of the LA Hwy 59 exit in St. Tammany Parish.”

Preston was transported to a local hospital, but tragically “succumbed to his injuries,” the release stated.

Sharing an “update regarding the accident,” in a written message posted to Instagram on Wednesday, Katelynn wrote, “For those of you who don’t know, my husband and I suffered severe concussions and have no memory of the accident. There has been a lot of misinformation out there & we want to share the most accurate information we have at this time.”

She said that the couple had “hired an independent accident reconstruction expert to thoroughly review the incident,” writing, “According to the vehicle’s black box data, the vehicle was traveling at 70 mph before decelerating and making a right turn, impacting at approximately 60 mph.”

Police previously stated in the initial release that Preston had been “seated in the rear, but improperly restrained in a child safety seat.”

Katelynn said in Wednesday’s post, “Preston was properly secured in a two-piece, 360-degree car seat positioned behind the passenger seat,” adding that he “remained fully restrained in his car seat throughout the incident,” mentioning this had been seen by witnesses.

“He was removed from the vehicle still securely fastened and brought to the side of the road by bystanders — this occurred before any emergency vehicle arrived at the scene,” the message continued. “Witnesses shared that it appeared to take at least 15 minutes for first responders to arrive, at which point Preston was still fully secured in his car seat and was handed over to them.”

Katelynn pointed out that the report confirmed “that the car seat base was properly installed and belted in.”

Without naming the brand, she added, “However, there appears to have been an issue with how the seat attached to the base: the locking pins were stuck in the engaged position, which may have prevented the seat from fully securing to the base.”

“After learning this, we further researched this particular car seat and discovered the issue has been reported by others as well,” the post, which was also shared on TikTok, read.

Katelynn continued, “As for the cause of the accident, it is currently believed to have been the result of a medical emergency, which is consistent with the vehicle’s deceleration and steering behavior.”

“We deeply appreciate the continued prayers and support as we navigate this unbearable tragedy. We are grateful for the continued prayers. Our only source of strength right now is our faith and the hope we have in God. We can’t imagine walking through this without the assurance of eternal life and the peace that comes from knowing the truth,” the post concluded.

The update comes after PEOPLE confirmed that Preston’s official cause of death was listed as “blunt force injuries due to a motor vehicle crash.” The St. Tammany Parish coroner’s office also stated that the child’s manner of death had been categorized as accidental.

As previously reported by PEOPLE, the Ordone’s older daughter Paisley was thankfully not in the car at the time of the crash. 

Preston was known as the “Okay Baby” with his videos going viral on TikTok and Instagram. He loved to say “okay” to Katelynn before then going to do the opposite of what she had asked. Videos of him jumping into mud and puddles garnered millions of videos and likes. Katelynn now has 241,000 followers on Instagram, and over 623,000 on TikTok.

A GoFundMe page set up on the family’s behalf had raised over $59,600 as of Thursday, May 15.

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