Fitness influencers Baxter, aged 22, and Thievin, age 23, die in 100mph car crash which 'split car in two'

Two popular social media influencers, known as Baxter and Thievin, have died following a car crash.

Baxter Hosley, aged 22, and Garrett 'Thievin' MacDonagh, age 23, from Houston, Texas, died on Sunday March 10 after they were involved in a 100mph crash, according to local news reports. It is alleged that the accident left the BMW the pair were traveling in 'split in two'.

So, who were Baxter and Thievin, what exactly happened to them, and what tributes have been left to them? Here's what you need to know.

Who were Baxter and Thievin?

Baxter and Thievin were friends and also fitness social media stars. They gained hundreds of thousands of followers between them on TikTok and Instagram because they shared body transformation, workout content and also product reviews. 

The pair's final video was posted on TikTok just days prior to their untimely and unexpected deaths and showed them reviewing a zero sugar root beer.  The two said they drove 250 miles to Dallas to taste it and Baxter declared it to be worth the trip as it was 'the best root beer he'd ever had'. 

Baxter had more than 50,000 followers on his Instagram account, @baxter_hosley. In his bio, he described himself as going from 'fat' to 'fit' and said he had lost more than 100lb in weight himself. Thievin, meanwhile, had also lost more than 100lb, according to the bio on his Instagram account, @thievin.gg. He had more than 5,000 followers.

Over on TikTok, Baxter had more than 545,000 followers on his account @baxter_fit. Thievin had more than 97,000 followers on his page @thievin.gg.

What happened to Baxter and Thievin?

American news outlet ABC13 reported that the BMW the pair were in was travelling at over 100 miles per hour on South Main Street near Fondren Road, in Texas, when the car lost control and veered off the street at around 10pm. It is not known who was driving the car at the time.

The BMW then hit a 'sign' after which it was 'cut into two pieces', according to the Houston Police Department. Witnesses told police they had seen to car weaving in and out of traffic and cutting off other cars before the crash happened, as reported by local media. Investigators believe the driver tried to take an exit about three or four lanes over when he lost control.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger was transported to a local hospital, where he also died. Houston Police officers said there were no signs of alcohol at the scene, but an investigation into possible intoxication will be part of the autopsy.

Sergeant David Rose from the Houston Police Department told local news reporters: "This crash (was) very preventable. They didn’t hit a wall. They didn’t hit another vehicle. They were just traveling at a very high rate of speed. Had they been driving anywhere close to the speed limit, (based on) the injuries in this crash, I’m confident that with this type of vehicle, it would’ve not been fatal."

What tributes have been left to Baxter and Thievin?

Many tributes have been paid to the popular influencers in the days after their death, includung one which has been shared by Baxter's father.

Firstly, he issued a statement in a video posted on TikTok by a health and wellness company called Ekkovision that his son and friend worked with. "We are all mourning the loss of Garret and my son Baxter from the last weekend," he said while standing alongside several employees from the firm. "We all will miss them and we love them very much."

In a post shared on their own Instagram account Ekkovision also released a statement about Baxter and Thieven's death, describing the crash as a 'horrific event'.  It read: "Sunday March 10th we lost two of our brothers. The family lost their sons in a horrific event. 

"At this moment we ask you guys to please send your prayers to Baxter and Thievin and their family and the ekko team. At this moment we will not share any further details to honour family's wishes. We will of course work with their family to continue to support them. We will keep you guys posted with funeral information as we have them."

They also revealed that the products which Baxter and Thievin had worked with them on will continue to be sold in their honour. "We already got both families blessing and permission to continue to produce their signature products with ekko, and have structured a plan to work closely with the family to continue to support by sharing the profit of their signature products to help them, as we believe that is what Thievin and Baxter would want. Rest in peace Baxter and Thievin."

Many fans have also left tributes to the pair on their last TikTok video. One said: "Baxter and Thievin, rest in peace. Baxter has helped me a lot when I was losing weight and has always put a smile on my face." Another said: "Bax and Thievin, truly this hurts. I watched you guys everyday and was wondering why no post. It just doesn’t feel real. RIP. I'm going to miss you."

One more, who was struggling to come to terms with the news, said: "I refuse to believe one of my favorite gym influencers is actually gone, are you actually serious." A fourth said: "Can’t believe ill never see Bax on my 'for you page' again. RIP."

One other person added: "Every day I come back to this account to see if he posted something new and watch this vid and remember he’s gone forever."