What happened to Kadance Fredericksen? Miss Florida Teen USA pageant queen dead at 18

Kadance Fredericksen, who held the Miss Okaloosa County Teen USA title, passed away on February 17 in a car crash. She was 18 years old.

The Northwest Florida Daily News reported that Kadance Fredericksen's vehicle collided head-on with a tractor-trailer on State Road 4 and Hurricane Lake Road in Santa Rosa County at around 1:30 pm local time.

According to a February 19 People report, authorities said her car crossed the center lane and entered the eastbound lane before colliding with the tractor-trailer. They added:

"We are still in the early stages of the investigation and ask that we all take a moment for this family as well as others who have lost a loved one to a traffic crash."

In an interview with People on February 19, her mother, Lisa Fredericksen, shared that Kadance was only three minutes away from home. She said:

"She had the whole world right there in her hands, and she was ready to take it on. She was literally three minutes from home. I have no idea what happened."

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Kadance Fredericksen founded Kada's Promise, a program that provides teddy bears and blankets to children in need

Kadance Fredericksen with foster kids. [Image via Instagram/@kadaspromise]

According to Lisa Fredericksen's interview with People, Kadance started volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House and has raised over $25,000 since then. In 2017, she started her own program, Kada's Promise, to provide blankets and teddy bears to children in foster care, homeless shelters, abuse shelters, and hospitals.

In February 2019, then-12-year-old Kadance gave an interview to WEAR News, talking about her abusive childhood and why she founded Kada's Promise.

She shared she was neglected and homeless as a child before being adopted by her father and stepmother. In the interview, she talked about how, on her adoption day, she was given a teddy bear that comforted her. She said,

"I was pretty much abused and homeless pretty young. The morning of my adoption, my Elf on the Shelf actually gave me this teddy bear, Mr. Snuggles, as a symbol of comfort for that whole entire day. I felt that no child should ever have that feeling in knowing what it's like to be abused and homeless, and I wanted to try to give them as much comfort as I possibly could."

She continued,

"Kada's Promise is to help everybody who has been abused, homeless or neglected. We hear you, we see you and we will provide as much comfort and support as possible."

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The official Miss Florida USA Instagram account has shared its condolences and posted a tribute in Kadance's honor. They wrote:

"It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that we share the passing of one of our beloved delegate, Kadance Fredericksen, Miss Okaloosa County. Our pageant community has lost a beautiful soul - one who was a true light in this world. She was ambitious, driven, kind, and a leader among her pageant sisters."

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According to People, her family has raised a GoFundMe fundraiser in Kadance Fredericksen's memory to honor her wish to help children in need. Kadance Fredericksen's funeral will be held on February 22, 2025.