2 dead, 1 jailed after vehicle plunges into Black River

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A night of drinking ended the day before Easter with two men dead in the Black River and a Poplar Bluff woman jailed on suspicion of manslaughter.

Joshua Phelps, 25, of Poplar Bluff and Jason Carrington, 29, of Malden, Mo., drowned in a submerged vehicle shortly after a one-vehicle accident at 4 a.m. Saturday, Butler County Coroner Jim Akers said.

The vehicle's driver, Christina Aldridge, 24, was able to escape unharmed through an open driver's side window, members of Poplar Bluff Police Department said from the scene later that day. She reportedly confessed to spending the night drinking and is being held at Butler County Jail on charges of driving while intoxicated and two counts of manslaughter.

Aldridge's 2001 Jeep Cherokee was allegedly traveling at least 48 mph when it went through a stop sign on Saxon Drive, crossed Ashcroft Road and crashed into the Black River.

Officers retrieved the submerged Jeep around 10:30 a.m. Saturday with the assistance of Missouri State Highway Patrol divers and a tow truck.

The vehicle landed in the water on its roof, with the headlights shining at the bank, witnesses said.

Phelps was recovered from the vehicle's front seat, where only the driver's side window was down. Carrington was found in the back seat, where both windows were closed. Evidence at the scene indicates they did not die as a result of injuries from the accident, Akers said.

Autopsies have been scheduled for today in Farmington, Mo., he said, adding it does not appear any of the occupants were wearing seat belts.

Residents on Saxon Drive called police to report the accident shortly after it occurred. Neighbors said a loud boom from the accident was heard first and then Aldridge calling for help.

"It's a tragedy when something like this happens because people drink and drive," police chief Danny Whiteley said. "People need to consider a designated driver or not drinking at all. This affects three different families."

Pertinent address:

Poplar Bluff, MO