An 18-year-old Ritenour High School student and two other people died Friday in a multi-vehicle crash. Police are looking for a third driver who left the scene.
BELLEFONTAINE NEIGHBORS, Mo. — A community is in mourning after a deadly crash on Lewis and Clark Boulevard claimed the lives of three people Friday night. One of the victims was a high school senior who had just been crowned prom queen days earlier.
The Ritenour School District confirmed that Jordyn “Lunar” Williams, 18, was among those killed in the collision. Williams was a passenger in a Lexus driven by her 53-year-old aunt, Cherese Fisher, who was also killed.
The crash occurred at about 8:30 p.m. on Lewis and Clark Boulevard near Haviland Drive.
In a letter sent to families over the weekend, Ritenour High School Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education Bruce Green expressed the weight of the loss.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have to share the news of the passing of one of our students,” Green wrote. “This is a difficult time for our entire community.”
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a southbound Cadillac SRX sideswiped a Lexus RX 350, causing it to cross the center line and collide with an oncoming Toyota Highlander.
The front end of the Toyota struck the Lexus, causing the Lexus to overturn.
The Cadillac then veered off the road and crashed into a group of trees.
Police in Bellefontaine Neighbors are currently working to locate the Cadillac’s driver for questioning.
The driver of the Toyota, 28-year-old Andrea Medina, was also killed.
“This is my neck of the woods,” Keyonna Sherwood of Harris & Hall Dove Release said. “I’ve grown up right in this area. We take this road to work all the time. That could have been us.”
In response to the tragedy, the company is offering free memorial services, including dove releases and memorial videos to the families of all three victims.
For Sherwood and Joshua Harris of Harris & Hall Dove Release, the tragedy is a grim reminder of the dangers of Lewis and Clark Boulevard.
“I pray that St. Louis steps up,” Harris said. “How many more deaths do we need before they step up and make a change here?”
“We just really want the families to know and understand that even though this is a tragic incident, their loved ones won’t be forgotten,” Sherwood added.
The investigation into Friday’s crash is still ongoing. Lewis and Clark Boulevard has seen six other crashes this year.
Grief counselors will be at Ritenour High School on Monday to offer support to students and staff.