Mekyla Li’s reign came to an abrupt end following the discovery of her involvement in ongoing litigation and past marital status.

Miss Grand USA winner stripped of title after 1 week amid hit-and-run case

Mekyla Li’s reign came to an abrupt end following the discovery of her involvement in ongoing litigation and past marital status.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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August 20, 2026 6:29 p.m. ET

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Mekyla Li winning the Miss Grand USA pageant in 2026. Credit:

Mekyla Li/Instagram

- Mekyla Li’s reign as Miss Grand USA came to an abrupt end on Wednesday over a week after she was crowned.

- Li was found to have violated two of the organization’s eligibility criteria: Contestants cannot be or have been married, and cannot have any criminal history.

- The 27-year-old Miss Asia USA winner is currently involved in a felony hit-and-run case, and was previously married.

The Miss Grand USA crown is suddenly back in circulation.

Mekyla Li, the 27-year-old model and motivational speaker who was named 2026’s Miss Grand USA on Aug. 10, has been stripped of her title.

“Miss Grand USA announces the termination of Mekyla Li’s reign and her release from the Miss Grand USA Title and all associated duties,” the organization shared in an Instagram post on Wednesday. “This decision was made in accordance with contractual policies outlined by the Miss Grand USA organization.”

The abrupt announcement comes amid documents surfaced by PEOPLE that show Li’s involvement in ongoing criminal and civil trials for an alleged hit-and-run in 2024. She was also married from 2018-2019 — both violations of Miss Grand USA’s eligibility criteria.

* *did not immediately hear back from representatives for Li and Miss Grand USA for comment, and neither party has disclosed the reason for Li’s termination.

According to court documents reviewed by **, Li was arrested on Nov. 24, 2024 in connection with an alleged hit-and-run. In the criminal case, Li is facing two felony charges, for causing a non-serious injury and for causing a permanent serious injury. She was arraigned on March 19, where she pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Li and a man named Michael Scobey were also named as defendants in a civil complaint filed in March alleging negligence, a hit-and-run, intoxicated driving, and reckless driving tied to the alleged November 2024 incident.

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Li and Scobey allegedly swerved into oncoming traffic and collided with an oncoming vehicle while driving down Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, according to the civil complaint reviewed by EW. Li and Scobey allegedly hit a car being driven by Anna Mercedes Aoun, who claims that the pair “fled the scene” in a rideshare vehicle without placing a call for emergency services.

Aoun claims she suffered “catastrophic injuries” that have led to “great emotional, mental, physical and nervous pain and suffering,” including “some permanent disability.” She has requested a jury trial and is seeking general damages and compensation for the following: medical expenses both past and future; property damage and loss of use; all loss of earnings, both past and future; and “various and sundry expenses.”

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Mekyla Li in 2026.

Mekyla Li/Instagram

According to divorce records obtained by PEOPLE and reviewed by EW, Li and her ex, Danny Ray Bedwell, were married from Aug. 9, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2019, at which point they sought divorce citing irreconcilable differences.

The Miss Grand USA organization lays out nine criteria for eligibility to compete in pageants. Under “Marital Status,” the organization notes that contestants “cannot be or have been married or pregnant.” Under “Moral Integrity,” the organization notes that contestants “must have a clean personal record with no criminal history.”

Li is a previous winner of Miss Grand Massachusetts 2026 and Miss Asia USA 2025. She celebrated her “surreal” win at the Miss Grand USA 2026 pageant in an Instagram post on Wednesday, writing, “What once lived as a dream in my heart is now something I get to wake up and call reality, and somehow, I’m still on cloud nine.”

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