Category: kmiz-local-news

Euphenie Andre

EDITOR’S NOTE: A photo has been removed from this story because it was not directly related to the subject matter.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Sunday marked National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and the Missouri Department of Transportation is using not only Sunday, but the entire month of January to help educate the public about how traffickers operate and how to recognize the warning signs.

Missouri saw a rise in human trafficking cases in 2024, according to data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

“With the numbers continuing to increase in Missouri, it’s important that we equip our employees with the knowledge of what to look for and what to do if they suspect human trafficking is occurring,” MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger said in a press release.

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Missouri has averaged more than 240 human trafficking cases per year from 2020 through 2024. In 2024 alone, the state recorded 272 cases, the highest total since 2020, when 270 cases were reported.

The state sits at the center of the country, with major interstates, rail lines and thousands of trucks moving through every day, making it a key transportation hub and a prime target for traffickers.

Isaac McIntosh, a military veteran and current truck driver, stopped at Midway Travel Plaza Sunday afternoon while traveling from North Carolina to Colorado. McIntosh has been trucking for the past eight years and said he has never witnessed anything suspicious at truck stops.

“I haven’t. I hear about it online,” McIntosh said. “I don’t wish to see it, and I hope it doesn’t happen at all.”

He added that his training to drive trucks did not include specific instruction on human trafficking.

“I do see it [human trafficking awareness] at the pilots. When you go to certain truck stops they’ll have signs up there in the bathrooms that state if you see human trafficking, or some signs of human trafficking, to report it to somebody inside,” Mcintosh said.

David Byler, a truck driver with two years of experience, said he has seen an incident firsthand.

“There have been a few instances. Nothing that I could definitely pinpoint, but there also was–police showed up shortly afterwards, so someone had called it in.” Byler said.

Byler noted that truck stops are much safer now.

” In the past, there was a lot more illicit activity at truck stops. Now, there are so many cameras around there’s so much more awareness on the subject and there’s always someone watching you,” Byler said.

Byler said his training included extensive instructions on human trafficking.

“We were given multiple hours of video that we had to watch on human trafficking awareness. We were given pamphlets on it,” Byler said.

MoDOT said human trafficking often happens in places people see every day, including rest stops, gas stations, hotels and restaurants. Over a four-year period, hotline data shows the most common locations connected to sex trafficking cases were homes, hotels, pornography-related operations and massage businesses.

Truck stops were involved in only 9 cases over a four-year period in Missouri.

In 2024, the National Human Trafficking Hotline recorded:

191 cases of sex trafficking

42 cases of labor trafficking

15 cases involving both sex and labor trafficking

2023:

188 cases of sex trafficking

19 cases of labor trafficking

19 cases involving both sex and labor trafficking

2022:

179 cases of sex trafficking

29 cases of labor trafficking

14 cases involving both sex and labor trafficking

2021:

210 cases of sex trafficking

15 cases of labor trafficking

6 cases involving both sex and labor trafficking

2020:

231 cases of sex trafficking

10 cases of labor trafficking

10 cases involving both sex and labor trafficking

From 2020 through 2023, adults made up the majority of trafficking victims, with children not far behind. However, the number of cases involving children dropped in 2024 compared to previous years.

Since the National Human Trafficking Hotline began collecting data in 2007, women have been the most commonly trafficked gender in Missouri.

According to MoDOT, potential warning signs of trafficking include:

Physical abuse or injuries

Branding or tattooing

Not having control of money or identification

Avoiding eye contact or appearing fearful

Not being allowed to speak for themselves

Missouri has seen 2,281 human trafficking cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline since 2007, affecting 4,453 victims. Nationally, there were more than 12,000 human trafficking cases in 2024 involving nearly 22,000 victims.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Missouri bill could force Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the state to identify themselves, if passed. The bill’s introduction follows a deadly shooting in Minneapolis involving an ICE agent and a civilian.

Rep. Ray Reed (D-St. Louis) introduced the bill Wednesday where it received a first reading on the opening day of the 2026 legislative session. If passed, it would require ICE agents to refrain from wearing masks or helmets that could obstruct the person’s identity, according to the bill language.

The bill excludes medical masks, like the ones used during the COVID-19 pandemic or masks that are used to avoid breathing in toxic chemicals.

If an agent violates these rules, that person could be subject to a class A misdemeanor, which is punishable with up to a year in jail and could come with up to $2,000 in fines.

“Across our country, people are now fearful when federal agents operate in plain clothes, without clear identification, and without accountability,” Reed said in a press release.

He also posted on Facebook after the deadly Minnesota shooting.

“In moments like this, we can’t give in to fear or let ourselves be divided. We should demand transparency and accountability while staying peaceful, looking out for one another, and keeping our neighbors safe. That is why I filed legislation to unmask ICE agents working in our state,” Reed wrote.

Protests and vigils were held across the nation Saturday and Sunday for Renee Nicole Reed, the Minneapolis woman killed by an ICE agent, with some in mid-Missouri.

Protesters in Jefferson City called out ICE brutality Saturday, with many people expressing their dislike of the Trump Administration’s crackdown on immigration.

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 72-year-old man from Cuba, Missouri, was seriously injured Saturday in a crash in Gasconade County, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the crash happened on Route T, south of Third Street, at 9 p.m.

The man was driving a 2008 Ford Ranger southbound and went off the right side of the road, hitting a fence and several trees, the report says. The truck then overturned, and the man was thrown from it.

He was flown to Mercy St. Louis Hospital with serious injuries. He was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the report.

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Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Jefferson City residents silently marched through the city on Saturday after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent killed a Minneapolis woman Wednesday.

Protesters marched past government offices and the Governor’s Mansion wearing all black and holding signs with phrases such as “Stop ICE terror” and “ICE keep your [hands] off our citizens.” Other signs were more specific to the Minneapolis death of Renee Good, like “We brought whistles. They brought guns.”

That sign references a tactic Minneapolis residents used to alert other residents of ICE’s presence, according to an article from CNN. Good was shot while in her vehicle when the agent fired at least three shots and killed her.

There are differing opinions on what Good was doing that made the ICE agent shoot her, according to CNN. The Department of Homeland Security says Good was trying to run over the agent, but local officials say she was driving away.

“You can’t kill someone because they’re fleeing a scene,” protester Susan Paige told ABC 17 News. “Whether it’s legal or not, it doesn’t matter. You don’t just shoot them.”

Paige said the protest was like a funeral march for Good. Approximately 250 to 300 people attended.

We Stand United Missouri protest organizer Tina Langland said people in her community have been feeling unsafe because of what she called ICE brutality.

“A lot of people are not sure what to do. They see these things happening, and they know it’s wrong, and they know it will eventually come to their doorstep,” Langland said. “No one’s safe. If everyone isn’t safe, then no one’s safe.”

Langland said she wants lawmakers to know people don’t support ICE brutality.

“I just need our legislators and leaders in charge to know that the people are not behind these actions by and large, and you have the power to stop it,” Langland said.

Susan Thomas said she came out to protest because her neighbors are afraid to leave their house.

“They haven’t left their house in, gosh, months. They have their groceries delivered, everything. And they’re citizens, but they’re still afraid,” Thomas said.

The Jefferson City protest follows a candelight vigil in Columbia for Good on Friday. The protest is also a part of the national movement “ICE out for good.”

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Nia Hinson

FAYETTE, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Fayette R-III School District says someone damaged its high school football stadium press box.

The school district posted about the incident on Friday night, urging people to contact its superintendent or the Fayette Police Department with information.

In an email sent to ABC 17 News on Saturday afternoon, Superintendent Brent Doolin said the sound system and security cameras were the most expensive things damaged in the incident. Doolin said the person broke several doors, broke into and vandalized the concession stand and sprayed a fire extinguisher in a shed.

Repairs are estimated to cost roughly $20k, according to Doolin.

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Nia Hinson

MILLER COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

An 18-year-old Versailles man was killed in a car crash in Miller County Saturday night, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

The report says the crash happened on Highway 54, east of Midway Road, around 1 p.m. The man was headed eastbound in a 2012 Mazda 3 and went off the right side of the road and down a “steep” embankment.

The car then hit a tree and overturned, the report says. The man was pronounced dead on scene.

The report says he was not wearing a seatbelt. The vehicle was totaled.

MSHP’s Troop F posted on social media about the deadly crash Saturday evening, urging people to be cautious of first responders working in the area.

🚨Fatal Crash on U.S. 54 in Miller Co.🚨

Troopers are investigating a single vehicle single occupant fatal crash on eastbound U.S. 54, east of Midway Road, in Miller County.

The roadway is not blocked, but please be careful for the first responders working in the area. pic.twitter.com/3wzAXrEB46

— MSHP Troop F (@MSHPTrooperF) January 11, 2026

This is Troop F’s first death for 2026, according to the report.

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Nia Hinson

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Police Department is searching for a man after one person was shot and killed in Jefferson City on Friday, according to a Saturday afternoon press release.

According to the release, police were called to the 800 block of Mulberry Street just after 4 p.m. on Friday after receiving reports that someone had been shot. Witnesses on scene told police the victim had been shot during a fight, and was taken to a hospital in a private vehicle.

Police said the 39-year-old Jefferson City resident was found at the Capital Region Medical Center. They were later airlifted to University Hospital in Columbia where they died.

Police named 29-year-old Malcolm Mayes, of Jefferson City, as the suspect. A warrant has been issued for Mayes’ arrest the release says.

A homicide investigation has been launched.

The shooting comes just one day after two people were charged with felonies in another Jefferson City gun-related incident that happened Tuesday in the 900 block of East Dunklin Street.

Both cases come during a violent stretch across Mid-Missouri.

Earlier this week, Governor Mike Kehoe met with Columbia city leaders following a disturbing shooting last Saturday, when a 17-year-old fired a gun inside a Dick’s Sporting Goods before leaving in a stolen vehicle. The next day, 21-year-old Brianna Hawkins, of Fulton was killed and two others were injured in a shooting at an apartment complex on Clark Lane.

Police are urging anyone with information about Mayes’ whereabouts to contact them.

ABC 17 News reached out to the Jefferson City Police Department.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Lake Ozark announced in a Thursday press release that it will received a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant from the state’s Department of Economic Development for a demolition project.

The release says the money will be put toward a $433,030 demolition project “focused on improving safety and redevelopment opportunities in the Bagnell Dam Strip area.” The rest of the money will be paid by Reese Development, who owns the property.

Twenty-three structures around the Bagnell Dam Strip will be demolished, including the former Shoreland Motel and “a series of residential and commercial structures located along Carls Drive, Ballenger Road, Thornsberry Road, Beach Drive, and School Road,” the release says.

Several of the buildings were certified as dangerous and many have asbestos and other contaminants, the release says. Demolition is expected to begin later this year.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

There were fewer cases of influenza reported around Missouri during the week of Dec. 28-Jan. 3 than the previous week, according to information from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The total of 7,582 cases still puts the Show-Me State in the “very high” category, but it is down by 10 cases from the prior week.

Most flu cases in Missouri are influenza A, which includes the subclade “K” strain that has been going around.

The DHSS says there have been six flu-related deaths this season.  

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Climax Springs man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he entered an Alford plea on Thursday in Camden County court.

Zackary Yates, 30, entered a plea for two counts of first-degree assault. An Alford plea occurs when a defendant maintains their innocence but admits evidence would likely result in a guilty verdict if the case went to trial. He is currently being held at the Camden County Jail.

Court documents in previous reporting say Yates was driving a Ford pickup truck 90 miles per hour on Feb. 27, 2024, on Highway 54 and once he was being chased, stopped his truck at the intersection of Osage Beach Parkway and KK Drive, put it in reverse and hit a law enforcement vehicle.

Deputies tried shooting at the vehicle to get it to stop on Arrow Road and a police chief tried putting down spike strips, but neither worked, according to the documents. The chase ended after Yates crashed the truck into a tree on Airport Road.

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