Crash that killed 2 Kearney teens in northwest Missouri stemmed from kidnapping, police chase

WATSON, Mo. (KCTV) - Law enforcement has released more details regarding a Sunday morning crash that left three people dead, including two 18-year-olds from Kearney, Missouri.

The Fremont County (Iowa) Sheriff’s Department stated that it received a report from a woman at Grape Community Hospital saying she and her 1-year-old were kidnapped by a man.

That man, a 29-year-old from Nebraska, dropped the woman off at the hospital and continued driving with the baby in his Kia Sorento. The woman told deputies that Kia driver was running from Nebraska law enforcement into Iowa and that he was homicidal and suicidal, WOWT-TV reported.

As law enforcement began their pursuit, the Kia drove southbound on I-29 in the northbound lanes, eventually crossing the state line into Missouri.

ALSO READ: Assault suspect on the run off Interstate 70 temporarily leads to road closures

Near mile marker 123, the Sorento crashed into a Ford Focus that had been headed northbound and was in the left lane trying to a semi-truck.

The Kia then struck a bridge abutment and caught fire. The 29-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. His 1-year-old enger was moderately injured and taken to an Iowa hospital in an ambulance.

The Ford had been carrying three 18-year-olds from Kearney, Missouri, who were recent graduates of Kearney High School. The driver and one enger were killed. The third enger was airlifted to a hospital in Nebraska with serious injuries.

ALSO READ: ‘He loved soccer and going to church’: Teen shot to death in Twin Peaks restaurant parking lot

Copyright 2024 KCTV. All rights reserved.