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Reward offered in Melissa Peskey I-70 murder after nine months and no arrests

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The family and friends of a woman killed on I-70 nine months ago are offering a $10,000 reward for tips that lead to an arrest.

The Missouri Highway Patrol is still trying to find the murderer of Iowa native Melissa Peskey, who was shot and killed was killed on I-70 near mile marker 96 near Boonville, Missouri. Her two children, 5 and 11 years old, were found alive in the backseat of her crashed Ford Flex. She was on her way to visit a friend in South Carolina and was on the phone with her sister when she was shot from outside her car.

Dateline NBC featured the details of the case, for which there have been no arrests so far.

The Missouri Highway Patrol posted on Facebook: “If you have information on this case & haven’t spoken up, now is the time.
MSHP (573) 751-1000”

Highway Patrol urges drivers to stay safe on the roads in cold weather (AUDIO)

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State Highway Patrol officials are warning drivers the dangers of driving in the frigid, cold weather during the winter months. They suggest what you can do to stay safe when you hit the road.

Lieutenant John Hotz with the Missouri Highway Patrol says it seems like after the first couple of snow falls we have each year, it might become easy for drivers to forget to adjust their driving habits.

 He says a lot of people will go out and drive and forget that the roads might become slick. “We have to reduce the speed in which we travel. We also have to increase the distance between us and the vehicle that’s in front of us,” he says. “Just in case that vehicle slows down or loses control.”

Hotz suggests if it’s not absolutely imperative for people to have to drive in poor, snowy weather conditions, he urges those to stay indoors.

 “It goes back to the preparation. If you are going to have to go drive in that bad weather, just be prepared for delays; be prepared to take increased time to get to your destination, and slow down to a speed that’s appropriate,” he says. “And make sure that you’re following the car in front of you at a safe distance.”

Another thing he stresses to drivers is to make sure they have their headlights on anytime the wipers are. Hotz says not only will that help the driver, but it also helps other vehicles see you on the road.

 

AUDIO: Mary Farucci reports. (1:01)

Trooper who died during 2011 flood honored at Missouri Capital (AUDIO)

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The House has issued a resolution honoring the Highway Patrol trooper who died last year in the flood of 2011. Trooper Fred Guthrie, Junior and his dog, Reed, were apparently swept away by  flood water while surveying a flooded section of Highway 111 in Holt County, August 1.

Teresa (left) and Amber Guthrie receive the resolution from Representative Nick Marshall on the House Floor. Picture courtesy, Missouri House Communications.

The Resolution was presented to Guthrie’s wife Teresa and his daughter Amber, who received two standing ovations from the House.

Representative Nick Marshall (R-Platte City) presented the resolution, saying Guthrie’s 17-year career was full of examples of his willingness to serve. “On June 22, 2007 during which a severe storm arose on Smithville Lake, he acted heroically in saving people on that lake. He also received the Missouri Department of Public Safety Employee of the Month in June 2007 and November 2007 as well as the Missouri State Employee of the Month in December 2007. He received the northwest Missouri Law Enforcement Award for Valor in 2007 and the Missouri Medal of Valor that same year.”

AUDIO:  Hear the presentation of the resolution to Teresa and Amber Guthrie, 3:54

The House Transportation Committee has also held a hearing on a bill that would name a section of I-29 in Platte County for Trooper Guthrie.  Superintendent of the Highway Patrol, Colonel Ron Replogle, told the Committee, “Certainly Trooper Guthrie was every sense of that definition a hero in his service and protection for this state.”

AUDIO:  Colonel Ron Replogle talks to the Committee about Trooper Fred Guthrie, Jr, 7:00