Author: KMIZ

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

One woman died, and another was seriously injured in a Benton County crash Friday morning.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash happened at around 8 a.m. at the intersection of Old 65 Avenue and Keuper Road.

A 19-year-old Green Ridge woman was driving southbound in a 2012 Cadillac SRX when it hit a 2013 Honda Civic being driven westbound by a 37-year-old Sedalia woman. Both cars then ran off the right side of the road, with the Honda flipping.

The Honda driver was pronounced dead at around 8:23 a.m. by the Benton County coroner, while the driver of the Cadillac, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was seriously injured and taken to the Bothwell Regional Health Center for treatment.

The Honda was totaled, and the Cadillac had extensive damage.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An update has been made detailing the first crash.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 46-year-old Rocky Mount man was killed Friday after being hit by a car.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the man was lying in the northbound lane of State Route Y just North of Brendel Boulevard after being thrown from a motorcycle in a previous crash.

A separate MSHP crash report says he was driving a 2009 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 northbound and hit a deer. He had suffered serious injuries from that crash and was left laying in the northbound lanes of Route Y.

At around 11:30 p.m., an unknown car then hit the man and drove away from the scene. The man was pronounced dead at around 11:50 p.m. by the Morgan County coroner. This is Troop F’s fifth fatal crash for October and the 54th death for 2026.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two Jefferson City men were seriously injured in a RTV crash Saturday morning.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred around 7 a.m. A 51-year-old man was driving a 2006 Kubota RTV 900 northbound on State Highway B, just south of Giggins Creek Road, when he was rear-ended by A 17-year-old St. Thomas girl driving a 2016 Ford Fusion. A 75-year-old man who was a passenger in the RTV was also injured.

Both vehicles were totaled.

COLUMBIA MO. (KMIZ)

Voters in Boone County are taking advantage of no-excuse absentee voting, which opened earlier this week.

A total of 1,183 ballots were cast Saturday, including 607 at Columbia Mall and 576 at the Boone County Government Center.

The Boone County Clerk’s Office reported that 988 people cast their ballots on the first day of voting, Oct. 20. By Friday, the number of ballots cast was nearing 4,000, according to Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon. Friday saw the highest daily turnout, with 1,013 voters casting ballots.

Lennon expects the total to approach 5,000 by the end of the weekend.

“I think it’s really similar to why we saw higher turnout in August, which is just the number of constitutional amendments on the ballot,” Lennon said.

Lennon said the clerk’s office anticipated higher turnout for this election and hired temporary staff to help accommodate voters.

On Saturday morning, voters faced waits of about 45 minutes to an hour at the mall.

Anne Morgan, who has lived in Boone County for five and a half years, was among those waiting in line. She said it was refreshing to see so many of her neighbors come out to vote.

“I think it’s really important to preserve our democracy,” Morgan said. “It was really heartwarming to see all of those people who feel that strongly about it as well. There are some important things on the ballot today, and I got to voice my opinion.”

Syreta Toson also voted early, saying she believes it is important for community members to have their voices heard on issues affecting them.

“I was really impressed by our community,” Toson said. “Everybody wants to have their day in what goes on in government events.”

Voters can cast their ballots Saturday at Columbia Mall from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., near Great American Cookies. On Sunday, voters can also vote at Douglass High School.

Several measures on this fall’s ballot are drawing attention, including Amendments 3 and 6 and Propositions A and L.

Amendment 3 asks Missouri voters whether to repeal the reproductive rights amendment approved in 2024. If approved, it would end the constitutional protections for abortion, including the right to abortion until fetal viability

It would allow abortions in cases of rape and incest before 12 weeks of pregnancy, medical emergencies and certain fetal abnormalities. It would also allow lawmakers to pass abortion restrictions, require parental consent for minors seeking abortions and ban gender-transition procedures for minors

Amendment 6 asks Missouri voters whether to make it harder for lawmakers to change laws that voters approve.

If passed, it would protect voters’ ability to propose laws and vote on them. It would also allow courts to review ballot summaries and require at least 80% of both the Missouri House and Senate to agree before lawmakers could change or repeal certain laws passed by voters or pass similar laws that voters previously rejected. The current rules for petition signatures and voter approval would stay the same.

A “yes” vote would make it harder for Missouri lawmakers to change laws that voters pass through petitions.

A “no” vote would keep the current rules in place, allowing Missouri residents to propose laws and constitutional amendments through petitions and vote on them.

Proposition A on the ballot and will be asked if they approve of the 2025 “Missouri First” map known on the ballot as House Bill 1. Legal battles have ensued during the past year as critics called the map “gerrymandered” in favor of Republicans.

A ‘yes’ vote would mean Missouri redraws its current congressional districts from the 2022 map to the 2025 map. If passed, the 2025 map is likely to take effect 30 days after Proposition A is approved.

A ‘no’ vote would keep the 2022 congressional map.

Proposition L asks Boone County voters to decide whether to approve a 3/8-cent sales tax to help fund public safety services, including a potential new 570-bed county jail. If approved, the tax would be collected for 15 years and expire on Dec. 31, 2042. It would be added to the existing 1/8-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2002.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Johnson County Fire Protection District Lt. Ben Burd died Saturday morning after a four-year-long battle against brain cancer, according to a JCFPD press release.

The 32-year-old started at JCFPD in 2014 as a firefighter in Knob Noster, according to the release. Burd was promoted to lieutenant in 2022 before serving in the training and safety division in 2025.

Burd will be receiving fire service honors.

“He grew with this organization, from a firefighter to a lieutenant helping prepare the next generation of firefighters. Our hearts are with his wife and children. We are proud of Lt. Burd’s serviceand deeply saddened that his life ended far too soon,” JCFPD Chief Larry Jennings is quoted in the release.

Burd has a wife and two young children, according to the release. He also served in the United States Air Force at Whiteman Air Force Base.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, doesn’t have a cure, but that’s not stopping fundraising efforts from the ALS Association to support research for a solution and support community members battling the condition.

On Saturday, over 100 people gathered at the Cosmo-Bethel Park in Columbia to raise money for the ALS Association and walk as a community.

“Today’s walk is to create awareness and to celebrate those people living with ALS,” Francesca Savage, the organization’s managing director of development said.

Savage said about $55,000 had been raised, which is about $20,000 short of the fundraising goal, but more donations are being made over the weekend.

ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease. John Cleek Jr. helped bring the walk to Columbia while his dad was fighting the disease.

“My dad really believed that he was going to beat ALS, kind of like he believes Missouri’s going to beat whoever they’re playing every week,” Cleek said. His father passed away in 2022.

Cleek said he’s hopeful there will be a cure one day.

“We’ve got to support it financially, do everything that we can to try to help those that are–they say they’re close. There’s a lot of great studies, a lot of clinical trials. Some of the smartest people in the world working on it,” Cleek said.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration is hosting the 31st Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, in partnership with many local law enforcement agencies, including the Boone County Sheriff’s Department.

According to a press release from the DEA St. Louis Field Division, over 4,400 collection sites will accept tablets, capsules, patches, and other prescription medicines to help prevent misuse and accidental poisoning. However, syringes, sharps and illegal drugs won’t be accepted.

Boone County residents can visit the Centralia Police Department, Hallsville Police Department, Kilgore’s Pharmacy in Ashland or Hickman High School in Columbia to drop off unwanted prescription medication Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, according to a Boone County Sheriff’s Department post.

Medications will be sent to the DEA for proper disposal.

Some businesses accept unwanted drugs year-round, including all three Hy-Vee pharmacies in Columbia. People can visit the DEA website to find the nearest drug drop-off location.

The Missouri Department of Mental Health estimates that 235,000 people misused prescription drugs within the past year.

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics estimates there were about 70,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2025. The data include fentanyl and other illegal drug-related deaths.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The roundabout at Clark Lane and Hanover Boulevard opened on Friday.

The intersection had closed in August as crews built the roundabout. Additional improvements include pavement and retaining walls.

Go COMO – the City of Columbia’s public transit system –will go back to its normal route on Saturday, the service announced on Friday.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was found guilty of multiple child sex crimes this week in Boone County.

Francisco Rutiaga-Santoyo, 51, was found guilty by a Boone County Jury on Thursday of two counts of statutory sodomy of a victim younger than 12 years old and one count of first-degree child molestation.

He is being held at the Boone County Jail and will be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18. Jail records show he is also being held on an immigration detainer.

His address was listed as Kaiser on the Boone County Jail roster, but it was listed as Columbia on Casenet. The probable cause statement claims Rutiaga-Santoyo was “removed from” the country at the time the document was written in 2023.

The probable cause statement says a child victim told law enforcement that Rutiaga-Santoyo sexually assaulted them over the course of multiple years.

Previous reporting shows a mistrial occurred in the case in 2025.