Authorities are investigating a deadly two-vehicle crash in Joplin, Missouri, that left a woman dead late Sunday night and led to the arrest of a 17-year-old suspect on a possible involuntary manslaughter charge.
According to the Joplin Police Department, officers were called to the intersection of 20th Street and Pearl Avenue just before 11:00 p.m. Sunday following reports of a serious crash involving two vehicles.
When officers and emergency personnel arrived, they immediately began lifesaving efforts at the scene before transporting the victim for further treatment. Despite those efforts, 47-year-old Sarah Trayer was later pronounced dead.
Investigators say the crash stemmed from a disturbance earlier in the evening near 26th Street and Maiden Lane involving two groups of juveniles. Police report that one vehicle carrying juveniles and an 18-year-old female began following a white Ford Raptor, also occupied by juveniles, at a high rate of speed.
Authorities said both vehicles were traveling north on Pearl Avenue approaching 20th Street when the Ford Raptor entered the intersection and collided with Trayer’s eastbound vehicle.
Police believe excessive speed and failure to stop at a stop sign were contributing factors in the crash.
On Monday, a 17-year-old male driver of the Ford Raptor was taken into custody. Officials confirmed he is not from Missouri, though further identifying details were not released. He has since been turned over to juvenile authorities and is being held at the Senator Ron Richard Juvenile Center on a petition for involuntary manslaughter.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to gather evidence and review the events leading up to the fatal collision.
