Category: kmiz-local-news

Lucas Geisler

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) –

Boone County will buy space at a Jefferson City cemetery to house dozens of unclaimed remains at the medical examiner’s office.

The county commission approved the $6,600 contract with Hawthorn Memorial Gardens at its Tuesday meeting. The contract allows the Boone/Callaway Medical Examiner’s Office to keep unclaimed cremated remains at the cemetery.

Eric Maze, a spokesperson for MU Health, said the office has more than 100 such unclaimed remains in its possession. The contract allows them to make space at the MU Health and School of Medicine campus, while also storing the remains in a more fitting setting should no one ever claim them. The medical examiner’s office will still facilitate handing those remains over to a family member should someone later claim them.

Nick McKague, co-owner of Parker-Millard Funeral Services, said the agreement allows the remains to stay in a secure space and helps the community and medical examiner’s office.

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Haley Swaino

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The street people will be able to access the baby box from has been changed.

Cole County EMS Chief Eric Hoy said after months of work to decide how to close cost gaps for the Safe Haven Baby Box installation at the Cole County EMS Headquarters in downtown Jefferson City, the county has agreed on a solution.

The Cole County Commission on Tuesday agreed to a plan to spend EMS funds upfront to cover a $4,900 construction cost gap that has stalled the installation of the box. The county will then seek reimbursement from the state.

“The legislature did pass House Bill 121, which does outline $10,000 in reimbursement for the installation of one of these devices,” Hoy said.

The project began before HB 121 was passed. The bill went into effect Aug. 28, 2025.

The baby box will allow people to safely drop off infants instead of abandoning them. The original goal was to have the device installed by fall 2025, but funding gaps were not the only setbacks to the project.

“It’s been a long, unanticipated road,” Hoy said. “As we went through this project and developed some locations in the building of where the box could potentially be installed, we ran into a couple areas of difficulty.”

Hoy said the state did not approve the original location the county proposed near the public entrance to the EMS headquarters because it was up a set of stairs.

“So we kind of had to go back to the drawing board and locate a secondary area,” Hoy said. “That secondary area’s in one of the three-story load-bearing walls of this facility.”

He said there are many factors to consider when deciding where to install a baby box at an EMS station.

“One of the things that the state really wanted is that it had to empty into kind of an environmentally-controlled area. So we didn’t want it to be out in the bay space where you have vehicle exhaust and those other sorts of things,” Hoy said.

That left few exterior walls on the headquarters that met all the state’s requirements.

Cole County EMS decided on an area on the building’s east side, behind the engine truck garages. People can access it from East McCarty Street.

“You can have foot traffic right up the apparatus ramp,” Hoy said. “It meets all the requirements for ADA and accessibility.”

But installing the box in that three-story wall brought unanticipated difficulty.

“The community was very generous through their fundraising program. Initially, we thought we had reached a goal that was far beyond what we would need for construction. However, due to some of those difficulties, there was still a funding gap,” Hoy said.

The community raised nearly $28,000 for the baby box. But the added construction costs have now left about a $4,900 deficit.

Hoy said he’s appreciative of the community support in seeing this project through.

“Over the last couple of months, these devices are being used in our state, and we’re happy to bring this ability and capability to Missouri’s capital counties,” Hoy said.

Safe Haven should deliver the baby box in the next few weeks, and Cole County EMS will then work with its contractor to get the device installed by the end of the year.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude wrote in an email Tuesday that her department is prioritizing downtown crime, enhancing technology to solve cases and collaborating with Boone County, city leaders and the Missouri State Highway Patrol to develop a plan to improve safety in Columbia.

The letter was Schlude’s first public statement since three bystanders were shot downtown over University of Missouri Homecoming weekend. One died.

Schlude acknowledged local concerns of violence downtown. She added that Saturday’s shooting that left two people injured and killed one woman marked the fourth, fifth and sixth uninvolved people shot downtown since March 2024.

Chief Response to DowntownDownload

Schlude said there have been 58 confirmed shootings in Columbia so far in 2025, about half the 105 reported during the same period in 2024. She said police have started four death investigations this year, compared to 10 during the same nine-month span last year.

According to the letter, after a shooting downtown in June that left one man injured, the department focused on launching a downtown enforcement initiative to focus on misdemeanor crimes as well as recruitment and officer training.

The department is focusing on reestablishing a unit focused on downtown crime, set to be implemented by summer 2026, the letter states. CPD is also working to improve investigation technology and work with the University of Missouri and local government and law enforcement departments to make a plan for community safety, Schlude wrote.

ABC 17 News reached out to Chief Schlude for an interview, but was told she was away at the city retreat and was unavailable.

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe said Tuesday that he has authorized the Missouri National Guard to help at ICE facilities in Missouri.

The mission will begin on Wednesday, Kehoe’s office wrote in a news release.

“This decision comes in response to a request for assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to the Department of War (DOW) to ensure the resources and personnel needed to effectively enforce immigration laws and maintain operational control of the border,” the release states.

Guard members will help with administrative, clerical and logistical duties at ICE processing facilities, the statement says. The governor’s office told ABC 17 News that 15 Guard members will be deployed.

Homeland Security would have information about where they will be used, the governor’s office said.

“Public safety, keeping Missourians safe, and upholding the rule of law is our administration’s top priority,” Kehoe is quoted in the news release. “The Missouri National Guard is uniquely equipped to provide this essential administrative support, and we are confident their contributions will be invaluable to immigration enforcement efforts. Missouri is proud to join in the Trump administration’s efforts to keep our state and nation secure.”

State Rep. John Martin (R-Columbia) expressed support for Kehoe’s decision, claiming border security reflects the will of the American people.

“The American people in the election of Donald Trump very clearly said they want to secure borders,” Martin said. “So our governors willingness to assist in secure borders is good for every state across our nation, as illegal immigration can bring crime and bring issues that affect every state in the union.”

State Rep. David Tyson Smith (D-Columbia) disagrees and criticized the governor’s move.

“It’s complete insanity and this needs to stop. This is about Donald Trump and Gov. Kehoe normalizing troops being everywhere,” Tyson Smith said. “This isn’t a border city, this isn’t El Paso, we don’t need the military, the National Guard enforcing ICE regulations. There’s not an epidemic of people committing crimes in this area.”

Tyson Smith also said the use of the National Guard with ICE is a waste of taxpayer resources and takes away from other services the National Guard is known to help with.

“It’s a waste of resources, Budgets already tight, budgets are already thin. Why are we spending money to have the National Guard enforce ICE regulations. to help with logistics,” Smith said. “This takes away from much needed services, I mean look at this I mean, we’ve got grocery prices that are through the roof.”

State Rep. Ray Reed (D-St. Louis) echoed Smith’s comments and accused Republican leaders prioritizing their loyalty to Trump over the needs of Missouri residents.

“They will do everything they can to just please their king, Donald Trump. We’ve seen it over the last few weeks with this redistricting effort,” Reed said. “We’ve seen it with them bending the knee at every single executive order, the president puts out and now they’re going out of their way to please him over the next red state.”

Reed also criticized the decision to deploy the National Guard for immigration enforcement, pointing to the lack of Guard support after a devastating tornado hit the St. Louis area on May 16. He called the move disrespectful to people in his region.

“Every minute that a National Guard member spends on a desk doing clerical work for ICE is the minute that they’re not going through trainings and preparations for the next natural disaster in the state of Missouri.” Reed said.

Martin disagreed.

“No, I don’t think that’s a bad use of resources , it’s a need that’s been requested by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of War,” Martin said. “You know maintain the rule of law and our immigration policies and so they need assistance, I think that’s a good step, the governor making a good step in the direction.”

Missouri does not have any designated ICE facilities in the state, but county jails in Montgomery and Ozark counties serve as housing for detainees.

ABC 17 News has reached out to ICE to learn where the 15 guard members will be deployed.

Trump has used National Guard in multiple cities in he says is an effort to crack down on crime and assist with immigration enforcement. He has also discussed sending in troops to cities such as Chicago, Memphis, Tennessee, and Portland, Oregon.

Kehoe has also joined U.S. Sens. Eric Schmitt and Josh Hawley (R-MO) in calling for ICE agents to be trained at Fort Leonard Wood in Pulaski County.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man accused of killing two women on Interstate 70 in Columbia in 2024 accepted a plea deal on Tuesday that reduces his charges.

Walter Montejo, 27, entered open pleas for two counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of fourth-degree assault. The defense and prosecution agreed to the open plea, with the exception that Montejo will face a maximum of four years in prison. A judge will have the final say.

Former Cole County Prosecutor Bill Tackett said open pleas typically reached when the prosecution and defense can’t meet in the middle.

“It becomes the Wild west because the judge can do whatever they want,” Tackett said. “The person sitting there has absolutely no idea whether this is five years, 10 years, 15 years…it’s up to the maximum and that’s horrific.”

Montejo was charged with two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, one count of second-degree assault, misdemeanor driving while revoked and driving without insurance before prosecutors proposed the reduced charges on Monday ahead of his hearing.

Montejo killed Cindy Helms, 54, of Rockwood, Tennessee, and Melvina Colin, 84, of Broomfield, Colorado, in August 2024.

Court documents say he was driving a tractor-trailer when the vehicle crossed the centerline and crashed head-on into the U-haul Helms and Colin were in. Court records filed on Monday said he entered a lane when it was not safe to do so and over-corrected into the opposite lanes, leading to the deadly crash.

Jail records show Montejo is also being held on an immigration detainer. A judge on Tuesday said that as part of the plea, Montejo could face deportation. He is originally from El Salvador. Tackett said when a defendant gets deported depends on whether or not the plea of guilty and sentencing to a felony plays into the deportation.

“Federal law trumps state law. If ICE or the feds took him then there would still be the sentence here to be served if he’s deported and comes back, the sentence is real,” Tackett said. “But in the short term, the federal government would be superior to the state government in terms of deportation.”

Montejo’s lawyers declined to comment.

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 24.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An Ashland man suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle crash in Miller County on Monday night.

According to online crash reports, the 60-year-old man was riding his motorcycle westbound on Highway 54, west of Walnut Grove Road, at about 11 p.m. when he turned a curve too fast, skidded off the road and overturned the motorcycle.

The man was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

He was taken to Lake Regional Hospital by a Miller County ambulance.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Prosecutors on Monday proposed reduced charges for a man accused of killing two women in a crash last year ahead of his plea hearing on Tuesday.

Walter Montejo, 27, is charged with two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, one count of second-degree assault, misdemeanor driving while revoked and driving without insurance. He is being held at the Boone County Jail. Jail records show he is also being held on an immigration detainer.

A filing on Monday shows prosecutors are suggesting Montejo be charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter and one account of misdemeanor fourth-degree assault. Montejo’s plea hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Boone County Courthouse.

A filing from Friday says the “case has been resolved.”

Montejo is accused of killing Cindy Helms, 54, of Rockwood, Tennessee, and Melvina Colin, 84, of Broomfield, Colorado, during an Aug. 5, 2024, crash on Interstate 70 in Boone County.

Court documents in previous reporting say Montejo was driving a tractor-trailer when it crossed over the median and hit a U-Haul head-on, killing Helms and Colin.

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Ethan Jones has owned MindRight Wellness in downtown Columbia for five years. He said he came into work Monday with a heavy heart after shooting on Saturday morning left one student dead and injured two others just a few stores down.

“It’s definitely a heavy energy,” Jones said. “It’s emotional, you know.”

He said the downtown he knows and loves is not the same as it once was.

“I read it on all the Facebook comments, ‘Oh, downtown, you’re going to get shot,’ and all this crazy stuff. But now, people obviously would feel that way for a reason or two,” Jones said.

He said when the sun sets and bar open, that’s when it seems crime is the worst downtown.

“I think over time we’re losing that uniqueness of what downtown is and has and what it was,” Jones said. “And the idea of not being able to have families feel like they could come down here and walk around and hang out and just chill for the day and get good food, have some good retail. Because a lot of people don’t want to come.”

ABC 17 News spoke with many downtown businesses Monday after the shooting, but most did not want to comment on-record about the violence.

City leaders, including Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude, and University of Missouri President Mun Choi came together Monday afternoon to address safety. At that table, was the Downtown Community Improvement District.

ABC 17 News spoke with Executive Director for The District Nickie Davis after the meeting, who said conversations were productive.

“I think that some of the issues that we’re seeing is stuff that’s going to be addressed soon,” Davis said.

Downtown CID houses the Columbia Police Department substation and works closely with them on safety needs.

“We knew that we had issues at bar close, so we bought some light poles with special lighting in them that can raise to daylight level whenever CPD needs them,” Davis said.

At Monday’s meeting, a proposal that Downtown CID had been pushing for was discussed.

“We have been trying to get the city and MU to sign for safety ambassadors at night,” Davis said. “It looks like that hopefully will be moving forward.”

Downtown CID is also pushing for the city to bring back a downtown unit of walking patrol officers. Davis says that was cut in recent years due to funding and staffing shortages.

“Adding more police officers isn’t always the answer. We need to figure out what are other steps, which I think is what CPD and the city are doing,” Davis said.

Davis and many other city leaders are headed to a leadership retreat Tuesday in Columbia, South Carolina, where she says discussions about safety initiatives will continue. The retreat lasts through Thursday.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia police officers were seen searching an area of Mohawk Avenue near Indian Hills Park in northeast Columbia on Monday evening.

Officers put up crime scene tape around 8:20 p.m. and about 10 evidence markers were seen on the ground. An officer at the scene told an ABC 17 News photographer that around 10-15 shots were fired, but property damage had not been observed as of 8:30 p.m. No injuries have been reported.

Police took down the tape and left the area around 9 p.m.

Around a half-dozen Columbia Police Department vehicles were at the scene, along with a Crime Scene Investigation van.

Check back for updates.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An area attorney is concerned a recent proposal from University of Missouri System President Mun Choi could lead to some people in the city being singled out.

Choi held a press conference on Monday, pushing for city and university leaders to come together to address crime. Choi’s push came after Stephens College student Aiyanna Williams was shot and killed while downtown with friends early Saturday morning.

23-year-old Misael Covarrubias is charged with three counts of first-degree assault, three counts of armed criminal action and a count of unlawful use of a weapon in connection with the shooting.

Choi sent a letter to Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and City Manager De’Carlon Seewood following Saturday’s shooting, asking the two to take immediate action to combat violence downtown. On Monday, Choi also urged the city to “seriously consider a loitering ordinance.”

“The city also needs to address the safety issues of the homeless population being in the medians,” Choi said. “It’s a safety issue for them as well as well as the drivers in those regions, and I believe that we need to clean up encampments that occur. There are safety hazards as well as an environmental hazard.”

Attorney Dan Viets, who is the president of Mid-Missouri Civil Liberties Association, said the city has had discussions regarding implementing a loitering ordinance in the past. Viets said he’s worried the presence of one in the city would invite selective and prejudicial enforcement.

“That’s exactly what would happen if we had those ordinances, certain people…people of color primarily would be singled out for enforcement efforts,” Viets said. “The vast majority of others would not and those ordinances are very suspect. Their constitutionality is very questionable and they’ve been stricken in many jurisdictions.”

Viets said he believes the city should ask for data before any changes in law are made.

When asked if he believed a loitering ordinance would be beneficial to Columbia, Seewood said he would need to know the “intent” of the ordinance.

“We have to build an ordinance around what the intent of what we’re trying to do and so looking at ordinances around safety is important and looking at how do we respond to community issues is also important,” Seewood said. “I have to look and see exactly what we’re trying to do and make sure that whatever we do is in the right intent.”

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