A former contestant on “The Voice,” identified by authorities as Kata Huddleston, 38, who performed on the show in 2016 as Katy Hay, has been charged in a deadly Dec. 10 hit-and-run sequence on Interstate 65 that left a woman critically injured and later dead, officials said. Huddleston was arrested in Oklahoma on Dec. 16, extradited to Tennessee, and formally charged this month. She is being held in Nashville on a $162,000 bond, according to court records.
The case has moved quickly from a multi-vehicle crash report to a homicide filing that places a onetime reality TV singer at the center of a fatal traffic investigation. Police in Goodlettsville and Nashville say the crashes unfolded minutes apart near Long Hollow Pike just off I-65. Detectives allege the driver of a red SUV struck vehicles at two scenes, left both, and was later found with an open container. Prosecutors elevated the charges to vehicular homicide after the second crash victim died on Dec. 12. Authorities say the timeline now includes missed court, a fugitive search, and a December arrest out of state before the January charging documents were filed in Davidson County.
According to an arrest affidavit summarized by investigators, officers first responded to a report that a red SUV rear-ended a driver on I-65 and left the scene shortly before the dinner hour on Dec. 10. As units converged, a second crash was reported minutes later off the interstate, where witnesses said the same red SUV turned off the highway and collided with another vehicle before leaving again. Medics took the second driver to TriStar Skyline Medical Center in critical condition. “We had multiple scenes within a tight window,” a Goodlettsville police spokesperson said in a brief on the case. “Witness accounts and physical evidence pointed to the same vehicle and driver.”
Officers later found a red Kia Soul with heavy front-end damage and a blown front right tire in a nearby parking lot, according to the affidavit. Police wrote that the driver smelled of alcohol and had “pinpoint pupils.” An open alcohol container, described as half empty, was visible inside the SUV, investigators said. Huddleston was arrested that night on suspicion of DUI, leaving the scene of a crash, and having an open container. Two days later, the hospitalized driver from the second crash died of injuries, and detectives sought a vehicular homicide warrant. The driver who reported the first crash was treated at the scene and released, authorities said.
Records show Huddleston failed to appear for a court date on Dec. 13, and police issued a notice that she was wanted. Goodlettsville authorities said tips suggested she could be headed to Oklahoma, where she has ties. On Dec. 16, deputies in Osage County, Okla., arrested Huddleston as a fugitive from justice. She was booked into the county jail and later waived extradition. By Jan. 9, Tennessee officials had returned her to Davidson County custody and filed the vehicular homicide case and related counts. Jail logs list her bond at $162,000, and a judge ordered her to remain in custody pending a detention review.
Investigators have not released the deceased driver’s name, citing ongoing notifications and the medical examiner’s process. The office of the medical examiner is completing a report that will formally list the cause and manner of death. Detectives said the weapon referenced in early paperwork was an “open container” violation tied to the DUI count; no firearm was involved. Authorities said they are gathering surveillance video from businesses near the off-ramp and interviewing motorists who stopped at the second scene. Officers from the Goodlettsville Police Department and the Metro Nashville Police Department are jointly handling the case because the crashes straddled jurisdictional lines along the interstate and adjacent surface roads.
Huddleston, who used the stage name Katy Hay on NBC’s singing competition a decade ago, advanced to national television rounds before returning to regional performances. Public records indicate prior legal issues in Tennessee unrelated to driving, including a 2022 conviction that resulted in a six-month jail term, as well as a 2017 DUI for which she later served probation. Police emphasized that the current case concerns the Dec. 10 crashes and the subsequent death tied to the second collision. Fans posting online noted her appearance on Team Christina Aguilera during the show’s 2016 season, though entertainment background has no bearing on the charges now before the court.
Prosecutors said the legal track will follow standard procedure: a probable-cause review at an initial appearance, followed by presentation to a Davidson County grand jury. A formal indictment could add or amend counts, depending on lab results and autopsy findings. Court calendars show an early detention review in January and additional settings to be arranged after any indictment. If a grand jury returns charges, the case would move toward arraignment and pretrial motions on issues such as witness statements, vehicle searches, and admissibility of toxicology results. No trial date has been set.
Police have not said what speed they believe the red SUV was traveling, how many total vehicles were damaged, or whether any dash camera footage captured the moments between the two scenes. A Goodlettsville sergeant said investigators are still mapping the route from I-65 to the second crash site near Long Hollow Pike and comparing witness descriptions of the driver. Workers at a nearby shopping center told officers they saw a disabled red SUV pull in with a shredded front tire before police arrived. Tow truck logs and parts receipts from repair shops were also requested, according to investigative notes summarizing the search for the vehicle.
Neighbors who live near the I-65 corridor said they watched patrol cars and ambulances stream past just before sunset on Dec. 10. “It was sirens one after another,” said a store clerk whose shop sits near the off-ramp. “By the time we closed, there was tape up and officers talking to people in the parking lot.” A driver who encountered the first crash described a red SUV “weaving” before a sudden stop. None of the witnesses were identified in official statements released so far, and police said they are withholding certain details to protect the integrity of interviews they plan to conduct in the coming weeks.
As of Thursday, Huddleston remained in the Davidson County jail while investigators finalize reports that will go to prosecutors and, eventually, a grand jury. The next milestone is the detention review and scheduling conference expected this month, where a judge will address bond and future dates.
Author note: Last updated January 15, 2026.