Missouri

Missing Missouri college student Melissa Oelke found dead after abandoned vehicle discovered in rural Illinois

Published

2 weeks ago

April 2, 2026

Missing Missouri college student Melissa Oelke found dead after abandoned vehicle discovered in rural Illinois

A missing Missouri college student who disappeared during an extended spring break trip home was found dead on Saturday in Illinois, near where her abandoned car had been discovered.

Melissa Oelke, 21, was reported missing on Thursday after she left her St. Peters, Mo. home without her phone at around 7:30 a.m. that same day, the St. Peters Police Department said.

Oelke, a student at the private art College of Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, had been home for spring break at the time of her disappearance, her father, Gerald Oelke, told the Belleville News-Democrat.

Gerald Oelke revealed to the outlet that his daughter had been stressed out over her recent midterms and extended her spring break to focus on her mental health.

After leaving her residence Thursday morning, Oelke drove around and made several stops, including at a Target in her hometown, a grocery store and a Walgreens, the outlet reported.

Oelke’s car was later found abandoned on the side of a rural road outside of St. Jacob, Illinois, approximately 60 miles east of her home.

Police swarmed the rural roadway where Oelke’s empty car was discovered stuck in an embankment near a creek, according to photos obtained by the outlet.

A dashcam inside the car had been removed before the vehicle was found, Gerald Oelke said.

Oelke had “several medical conditions that require attention,” creating a more urgent search for officials concerned for the missing student’s well-being.

Illinois emergency officials launched a search of the area looking for Oelke, using drones and K-9 units.

Officials revealed Oelke was found dead on Saturday in Madison County, Illinois, the same county her car had been discovered the day before.

A cause of death has not been released, but officials have ruled out foul play and believe there is no threat to the public, KMOV reported.

“We ask that you keep her family in your thoughts during this difficult time. Thank you to everyone who shared this post and offered your prayers,” the St. Peters Police Department said.

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Missouri

Safeguarding health care in rural Missouri demands a new approach

Published

12 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

Safeguarding health care in rural Missouri demands a new approach

Missouri lawmakers are right to treat the collapse of rural health care as an urgent crisis. Nearly half of the state’s remaining rural hospitals are at risk of closure, and many communities already know what it means to lose emergency rooms, labor and delivery services and timely stroke care. In this environment, legislation allowing MU […]

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Missouri

Montgomery County man pleads guilty in child death involving fentanyl

Published

24 hours ago

April 13, 2026

Press Room

Montgomery County man pleads guilty in child death involving fentanyl

A man charged after a 2-year-old was found dead under his care pleaded guilty to charges including murder in connection to the child’s death.

Bryan Danter, identified in court documents as the child’s father, pleaded guilty to second-degree felony murder, second-degree drug trafficking and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to court records.

Danter was charged in September 2024 with drug trafficking and child endangerment counts after state troopers found a 2-year-old child dead in an apartment, according to previous KOMU 8 reporting.

After investigators concluded the child died of exposure to fentanyl, a felony murder charge was added to the case, according to previous reporting. An individual can be charged with felony murder in Missouri when someone dies during the perpetration of a felony.

The probable cause statement filed at the time described guns discovered by state troopers during the child death investigation.

The guns included a pump-action shotgun, a semi-automatic shotgun and a semi-automatic .22- caliber rifle. Troopers said the serial number on the rifle had been sanded off, according to previous reporting.

Since Danter was previously convicted in a felony case and is not allowed to own firearms by law.

Danter has a sentencing hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. June 12.

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Missouri

Missouri women’s basketball adds high-major starting point guard transfer

Published

2 days ago

April 13, 2026

Press Room

Missouri women’s basketball adds high-major starting point guard transfer

Make that two signings for Kellie Harper’s team in the opening week of the transfer portal.

Missouri women’s basketball landed a commitment Sunday from Indiana point guard Nevaeh Caffey, who announced her decision to sign with the Tigers via social media. Caffey is a native of Warrenton, Missouri, who started all 32 Hoosiers games last season as a true freshman.

The Tigers have now made two additions out of the transfer portal since the window opened April 6, with Caffey joining Michigan transfer and freshman shooting guard McKenzie Mathurin.

Caffey is from the St. Louis area and played her high school at Incarnate Word Academy, winning 139 straight games and four straight MSHSAA Class 6 titles with the powerhouse. She was named Miss Show-Me Basketball as a senior in 2025.

In 32 starts, averaging 32.1 minutes on the floor per game, Caffey scored 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 turnovers per game. The 5-foot-10 shot 41.7% from 3-point range on 36 total attempts, and she averaged 3.3 free-throw attempts per game with a 81.3% clip.

Point guard — and guard depth at large — looked likely to be a target area for the Tigers in this transfer window, which will remain open for new entries through April 21.

The Tigers can return Averi Kroenke, who sustained a season-ending injury before the Tigers’ season-opener last year, and have a top-100 high school prospect in Natalya Hodge with the ability to run the point.

With high-major starting experience, Caffey sets up to find a prominent spot in the rotation next year in Columbia.

Five Missouri players have entered the portal and will transfer out of the program this offseason, including core rotation members in guards Chloe Sotell and Shannon Dowell. If there had been no outward movement, Mizzou would not have had any room to work in the transfer portal due to the NCAA’s 15-player roster limit for college basketball programs.

Mizzou has now filled two of those five possible open roster spots.

Frontcourt depth is now the clear-and-obvious major need for Mizzou. The Tigers need experience at both forward and center to round out their roster.

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