Jerome K. Bates III, 19, of House Springs and Blake A. Burton, 17, of Eldon died after a crash at Hwy. MM at Miller Road in House Springs Wednesday morning, July 22, officials reported.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol no longer identifies victims of vehicle crashes. The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims on Thursday, July 23.
According to the patrol report, Bates was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer at 2:10 a.m. westbound on Hwy. MM when the vehicle crossed the centerline, ran off the left side of the roadway and struck a rock bluff.
Sgt. Dallas Thompson, a Highway Patrol spokesperson, said the crash wasn’t discovered until hours later. The victims were pronounced dead on the scene by EMS personnel at 6:14 a.m., and they were taken by Edwards Mortuary to the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.