Decision to hold inquest rests on accident reports

The decision on whether to hold an inquest in the deaths of two local residents will be made after all investigations into the fatal accident are completed.

Debra P. Johnson, 46, of Delta, and Garrett K. Williams, 19, of Allenville, were killed Saturday when their car ran off Route U west of Whitewater and struck a tree. The vehicle, a 1995 Oldsmobile, was being pursued by the Chaffee Police Department before it crashed.

Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton said Tuesday he would wait until he receives reports on the accident from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Chaffee police before deciding if there should be an inquest.

"We will wait and see what all the information is," he said. An inquest is a judicial process that determines the facts of a person's death.

Williams, the driver, was ejected from the vehicle and died from massive head injuries, according to Clifton. Johnson died from internal injuries, he said.

Two other passengers, Daniel L. Moore, 20, and Betina M. Ott, 23, both of Chaffee, were seriously injured and taken by ambulance to Saint Francis Medical Center, the highway patrol said.

Ott was transferred to a St. Louis-area hospital and a condition was not immeidanlty known.

Roger D. Moore, uncle of Daniel Moore, said his nephew is on life support in serious condition at Saint Francis with severe head trauma.

It is not known what prompted the Chaffee police pursuit. Chief Martin Keys said previously the investigation was being handled by the highway patrol and declined comment. Patrol Sgt. Dale Moreland said they were just investigating the crash and not the circumstances leading up to it.

Neither Moreland nor Keys returned messages Tuesday evening.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127