Mom Of 6 Police Officer Killed In High-Speed Pursuit

A mother of six Missouri police officer was killed after losing control of her patrol vehicle during a high-speed chase stemming from a would-be traffic stop.

Osage Beach Officer Phylicia Carson , 33, pursued a vehicle speeding down a rural highway near the Lake of the Ozarks before skidding off the road and crashing into a tree, at which point her car ignited in flames, Chief Todd Davis announced during a press conference on Saturday (August 31). The department received a report of a fire on the highway where Carson was pursuing the speeding vehicle and made unsuccessful attempts to contact her.

“Officer Carson perished in the crash,” Davis said while wiping tears away during the press conference.

Christopher Aaron Bishop Wehmeyer , 23, was identified as the suspect who led Carson on the pursuit. Wehmeyer reportedly crashed minutes after Carson and was charged with aggravated fleeing a stop or detention of a motor vehicle, resulting in death, online records confirmed.

Carson shared six children with her husband, Grant , according to Davis.

“Please keep the Carson family, our Department, and our community in your thoughts and prayers as we work through this tragic event,” Davis said.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing. Wehmeyer is being held in Camden County Jail without bond.

The incident took place days after the state of Missouri passed Valentine's Law, which creates the offense of “aggravated fleeing a stop or detention of a motor vehicle if the person knows that a law enforcement officer is attempting to detain the vehicle and the person flees at a high speed, which creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury or death or actually causes physical injury or death to another person,” according to a bill summary shared by the Missouri Senate .

“A suspect who is charged becomes a defendant, and that can be up to a felony, which is 10 to 30 years to life in prison,” said Richelle Grosvenor , a Camden County prosecuting attorney, via KY3 .

Carson is the first Osage Beach Police officer killed in the line-of-duty in 30 years.