Police in Anne Arundel county believe a 19-year-old Pasadena woman killed in a car accident on Christmas Eve was text-messaging and speeding when she crashed her car into a tree.

Alyssa Anne Bennett was driving her 2002 Acura RSX north on Tick Neck Road near Bristol Channel Court in Pasadena at 2 a.m. on Dec. 24, police said, when she apparently lost control of the car and drove it off the road and into a tree. The accident occurred less than a mile from her home on Turf Valley Drive.

Bennett was taken to the Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie, where she was pronounced dead by hospital staff, according to police.

An initial investigation by police indicates that Bennett's car was going faster than the posted speed limit. Police said they also believe that text-messaging and alcohol were contributing factors to the crash, and are continuing to investigate the incident.

Court records indicate Bennett received probation earlier this year for driving her Acura with a suspended registration, speeding, and failing to show her vehicle registration to an officer.

jtorbati@baltsun.com