OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (KYTV/Gray News) – A police officer and mother of six in Missouri is being mourned after she died after a crash during a pursuit on Saturday, according to officials.
The Osage Beach Police Department said 33-year-old Phylicia Carson was identified as the officer who lost her life.
The department said another officer attempted to stop a high-speed driver on U.S. 54 near Passover Road around 1 a.m.
As the chase continued, Carson joined in her own patrol vehicle. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, Carson’s car began to skid before going off the road and hitting a tree. The vehicle then caught fire.
Carson died in the crash, police said.
Minutes later, the suspect in the pursuit crashed on State Highway A. Officers arrested the suspect at that crash site.
“We’re going to charge appropriately,” Camden County Prosecuting Attorney Richelle Grosvenor said.
Authorities said Carson is the department’s first death in the line of duty in 30 years.
She first joined the Osage Beach Police Department in 2023.
Carson leaves behind a husband and six children.
Her sacrifice in the line of duty mirrors a growing trend nationwide. According to data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, there has been a 136% increase in officer traffic-related fatalities just while out on the job since last year.
This pursuit comes just days after Missouri’s new Valentine’s law.
The prosecuting attorney said the new law could have an impact on how the crime is charged.
“A suspect who is charged becomes a defendant, and that can be up to a felony, which is 10 to 30 years for life in prison,” said Grosvenor.
Officials from all over Missouri sent in their condolences regarding Carson’s death.
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