Many gather to remember 13-year-old hit and killed by train in Buda

A 13-year-old girl was killed early Saturday morning after being hit by a train between the South Loop 4 and Houston Street railroad crossings in Buda.

City officials with Buda said 13-year-old Tanley Yacos and her friend were having a sleepover when they sneaked out of the house.  The pair were walking along the train tracks early Saturday morning when an oncoming train engineer spotted them and blew the horn.

It is unclear what happened at that point, but Yacos was hit and killed, her friend was uninjured.

Mia Trahan said when she heard the news of her best friends death she was devastated.  "I felt like I lost a part of my heart, ya know?" Trahan said Yacos loved the railroad track. "She always said she was super careful and if there was ever a train she would go off the railroad tracks," Trahan said.

City officials said the parents thought the girls were at home asleep and didn't know anything was wrong until they were contacted by police.

Police said they tried to interview the friend that was with Yacos at the time she died, but she was too upset to talk.

"It's a tragic situation all the way around especially for a tight knit community like Buda. Anytime something like this happens, it's tragic, but when you think about the age, a 13-year-old girl losing her life like this, it's just sad, it's a very sad situation," said David Marino, the Public Information Officer for the city of Buda.

Tanley was an 8th grader at Dahlstrom Middle School and was loved by many.

"You could just walk in the room and see her and just smile, she had that vibe. She was a beautiful young woman and it's a shame to know that she's gone. It's hard to believe, I'm still hoping it's all a dream and never happened," said her friend Harley Chandler.

Counselors will be available on Monday morning for students.

      
Marino said an autopsy was being performed Saturday which he was hoping would provide more answers.
    
A toxicology test has also been ordered, which is just standard, but those results aren't expected back for three to four weeks.

If you would like to help the family with the funeral costs, please donate here.