Hit-and-Run Case Takes Unexpected Turn After Prom Queen's Passing in St. Louis Incident

She had just been crowned by her classmates days earlier. Now she was dead, and the man who allegedly fled the scene after killing her wouldn't be found for a while.

Jordyn "Lunar" Williams, 18, a senior at Ritenour High School in Missouri, was riding as a passenger in her aunt's car on the night of May 1, 2026, when a driver sideswiped them and ran. She didn't survive, and neither did two other people.

But even worse, for three days, the man who caused this was nowhere to be found until a single phone call came.

What Happened on Lewis and Clark Boulevard?

Around 8:32 p.m. last Friday, a 2013 Cadillac SRX hit the Lexus RX350 driven by Jordyn's 53-year-old aunt, Cherese Fisher, in the southbound lanes of Lewis and Clark Boulevard, north of Haviland Drive in Bellefontaine Neighbors. The collision forced the Lexus across the center line and into oncoming northbound traffic.

Unfortunately, a 2013 Toyota Highlander driving on that side of the road couldn't stop in time and struck the right side of the Lexus, causing it to flip. Meanwhile, the Cadillac that caused the incident veered off the road and into a cluster of trees. The person driving it reportedly fled the scene on foot.

Jordyn, her aunt, and Andrea Medina, the 26-year-old driver of the Toyota, were all rushed to area hospitals. Sadly, none of them survived.

Who Was the Girl The School Crowned?

Just one week before the crash, Jordyn's classmates had voted her prom queen. Friends told First Alert 4 she had been beaming with excitement in the days that followed. And she was celebrating her birthday on the day of the crash.

Her death hit the local school community hard, as they had already been carrying grief in the weeks prior, according to Dr. Bruce Green, assistant superintendent for secondary education and lead administrator at Ritenour High School. Although he didn't disclose the cause of that pain, it was reported that he spoke to students and staff in the wake of this new incident.

"Husky Pride is not just something we say," Green told them. "It is how we show up for one another. It is in the way we care, the way we support, and the way we stand together during difficult times."

The district also brought in its full crisis team alongside professionals from Annie's Hope, a grief counseling agency, to support anyone who needed space to mourn.

Where Did the Driver Go After the Crash?

After the driver of the Cadillac abandoned the vehicle and ran off, police managed to trace the car's registration back to a home address and went to speak with the occupant there, a woman who told officers she had not been driving that night.

But she also added that her son was not home. This caused the investigation to stall, and three days went by with no arrest.

Who Finally Gave Him Up?

On Monday, May 4, that same woman called the police herself and told them her son was now at home. Officers arrived, spoke with him, and he admitted he had been behind the wheel of the Cadillac on the night of the crash. After being read his Miranda rights, he confirmed it again.

This means that his own mother had turned him in. He was later identified as Devin Daugherty, a 20-year-old. He now faces legal action, including three counts of fleeing the scene of a fatal accident and one count of operating a vehicle with a revoked or suspended license.

He is currently held at St. Louis County Jail on a $250,000 cash-only, no 10 percent bond. Although it's clear that justice will most likely be served, nothing can bring back the victims. We offer our condolences to all those affected by this tragedy.

Unfortunately, another family suffered a similar loss. As previously reported, on March 5, Jake and Kelly Carpenter had their 6-month-old son, Noah Carpenter, secured in his car seat in the back of their white SUV when they came to a stop at the traffic light at Buffalo Road and Howard Road in Gates, New York.

But soon after, life as they knew it would be over because of another driver's actions.

The Moment Everything Changed

The Carpenter family was following the rules of the road and waiting their turn to safely cross onto Howard.

But without warning, a black SUV came barreling into the intersection at high speed and slammed into the back of their vehicle.

The collision was so violent that both SUVs sustained heavy damage, a utility pole came crashing down onto the striking car, and everyone inside both vehicles was left "trapped" in the wreckage, according to a press release from the Gates Police Department.

By the time Gates Police, Fire, and Ambulance crews arrived at the scene at approximately 10:15 a.m., the full scale of the devastation became clear.

Firefighters worked to free all four individuals from the damaged vehicles before paramedics rushed everyone to Strong Memorial Hospital.

But for one member of the Carpenter family, there was nothing more that could be done. Baby Noah had been carefully removed from his car seat by firefighters at the scene and rushed to the same clinic for treatment.

Sadly, he passed away from his injuries that morning.

His parents, meanwhile, continued fighting for their lives. Jake had suffered a serious injury to his aorta and required emergency surgery. Kelly's situation was even more dire: she had sustained a severe traumatic brain injury and also underwent an urgent operation.

According to the family, "Jake is expected to make a full recovery, but Kelly remains in critical condition." As of March 9, Jake had been upgraded to satisfactory condition, while Kelly remained in guarded condition at Strong Memorial.

A Family Held Up by Thousands

Word of the tragedy spread quickly, and the response from the community was nothing short of overwhelming.

Just two days after the crash, a friend of the family, Laura McGlynn, launched a GoFundMe to help the Carpenters through the unimaginable.

The fundraiser described the crash as a moment that left the family's SUV with "severe damage," and laid out exactly where every dollar would go:

"Giving sweet Noah a proper burial and funeral service, helping cover medical bills from this tragic accident, and assisting with any additional expenses the family faces during this incredibly difficult time."

Within just 24 hours of launching, more than 1,500 people had donated over $110,000. By Monday afternoon, that number had already climbed past $140,000, eventually surpassing $169,000 raised toward a $200,000 goal, with nearly 2,400 donations and counting.

But the grief for what has been lost and the uncertainty regarding the health of Jake and Kelly has affected all those close to them.

Jake's mother, Diana Carpenter, shared the GoFundMe campaign while also expressing her grief on Facebook, "We are all totally devastated. [...] My heart is broken beyond words."

The outpouring didn't stop there. On March 8, family friend Brenda Robinson Adam also shared on Facebook how she had gathered her children and loved ones for a breakfast in honor of Kelly, Jake, and Noah, describing Kelly as someone who "grew up" with her children.

She wrote that those gathered paused to send love and well wishes to both parents, still in the ICU at the time, before turning their thoughts to Noah. "We raised our glasses to remember sweet baby Noah that was taken way too soon," she wrote. "We never had the chance to meet him but we all loved him already."

She also reflected on how the tragedy had reframed everything for those around her, adding that the moment had brought her Palmer Road community even closer together. "Life can change in a split second," she wrote, urging others to never take people or moments for granted.

The Gates Police Department continues to investigate the fatal crash. Anyone with information or who witnessed the collision is asked to contact Gates Police at (585) 247-2262 or email tips@townofgatesny.gov.

As Kelly fights to recover and Jake begins the long road ahead, the community's love and prayers continue to pour in for a family that lost so much in a single moment.