Wrong way driver flees in underwear; body found along interstate

This story has been updated with an arrest. To find out more, please go here: https://www.semissourian.com/story/2630812.html

Police on Thursday were looking for a man in his underwear who they say drove a pickup more than 20 miles north in the southbound lanes of Interstate 55 before crashing and fleeing on foot. Police are also investigating whether the man has any connection to a body found on the shoulder of the interstate near where the driving incident began.

The Missouri Highway Patrol was notified at approximately 11 a.m. Thursday of a blue or green Ford F-150 pickup near mile-marker 88 traveling north in the interstate’s southbound lanes. Officers responding to the scene discovered a deceased man on the inside shoulder of the interstate.

Meanwhile, the wrong-way driver continued north until eventually colliding with another vehicle and coming to a stop between the interstate and outer road. The man reportedly left his truck and fled on foot, shedding his clothes as he ran into nearby woods.

Although there were social media reports of other accidents caused by the wrong-way driver, the Missouri Highway Patrol said they had no reports of any.

“We know we have at least the one accident at the 111 mile-marker (near the Oak Ridge exit) and the one at mile-marker 88 that we are still calling a fatality incident,” said Sgt. Clark Parrott, public information officer with Troop E of the highway patrol.

Authorities say the driver of the truck is believed to be Myron Lee Tillman, 41. “He is a person of interest,” Parrott said.

“Right now we’re trying to piece it all together, but we’re missing one major piece of the puzzle which is Tillman, whose last known address is St. Louis. If we had him, it would clear a lot of things up,” Parrott said late Thursday afternoon.

The body found by the highway, he said, has been identified as Claude L. Nix, 42. According to his driver’s license, he was a resident of Jackson, Tennessee.

The cause of Nix’s death has not been determined. “An autopsy is going to be scheduled to determine that.” Parrott said.

The highway patrol and Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Department searched the wooded area along I-55 north of the Cowboy Church for several hours Thursday afternoon by foot and helicopter in search of Tillman. “I know I wouldn’t be running through the woods in my underwear,” Parrott said, adding he had no idea why Tillman would remove his clothes. “When we talk with Mr. Tillman that will clear a lot of things up.”

Parrott said he did not know if Tillman is armed, but he said anyone who sees him should notify the highway patrol or their local law enforcement agency.

Tillman of Lilbourn, Missouri, was involved in a bank robbery in 2001 in New Madrid County, according to newspaper archives. He was charged with armed robbery and armed criminal action at the time of the incident.

Southeast Missourian photojournalist Ben Matthews provided additional information for this story.