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Legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Donna Rotunno examines the investigation into a fatal crash involving a police SUV and a civilian vehicle in Independence, Missouri. Rotunno also weighs in on a disrupted terror plot targeting the Mall of America as a Minnesota man prepares for a federal detention hearing, while addressing a separate deadly vehicle crash on a Wichita soccer field.
A Missouri mother and business owner was killed when an Independence police SUV responding to an emergency collided with her luxury vehicle, prompting renewed scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Misty Leslie, 48, died after an officer driving a 2024 Ford Explorer struck the passenger side of her 2022 Audi SQ5 at an intersection near Kansas City shortly after 1 a.m. on Oct. 11.
According to the Independence Police Department, the officer was heading west on U.S. Highway 24 with his lights and siren activated when Leslie’s Audi traveled north into the intersection.
Investigators said preliminary evidence indicates the police SUV had a green signal while Leslie faced a red light. Both motorists were wearing seat belts at the time of the collision.
Misty Leslie, left, appears with another person in an undated photograph. Leslie, a Missouri mother and businesswoman, died after a crash involving a police SUV responding to an emergency on Oct. 11, 2026. (Credit: ebw_photography_by_misty_ Instagram)
Leslie was transported to a hospital with severe injuries, where she later died. The officer was hospitalized as well, though his injuries were not considered serious.
Authorities have not disclosed the speed of either vehicle or identified the emergency call that prompted the officer’s response. The investigation remains active.
The fatal collision occurred months after the Independence Police Department imposed tighter limits on high-speed pursuits following years of criticism over its driving practices.
At a March City Council meeting, interim Police Chief Douglas Brinkley said Independence officers engaged in 541 pursuits during 2025, compared with 137 by Kansas City police, The Kansas City Star reported.
Misty Leslie, left, smiles with a friend in an undated photo. The Missouri businesswoman and mother died after an Oct. 11 crash involving an Independence police SUV. (Credit: ebw_photography_by_misty_ Instagram)
“I do think we have a reputation for pursuing, but we still have to balance that risk versus reward,” Brinkley told members of the council.
A 2024 investigation by the newspaper found that Independence recorded more high-speed police pursuits than any other department in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Regionwide, more than 1,200 pursuits in 2022 led to over 150 crashes and 51 injuries; Independence accounted for roughly one-third of those injuries.
The department changed its policy earlier this year, barring pursuits tied to minor traffic violations and city ordinance offenses. Leslie’s death, however, followed a crash involving an officer responding to an emergency call rather than a reported pursuit.
News Media has asked the Independence Police Department for additional information, including the officer’s speed, the nature of the emergency call, whether he was on duty and whether surveillance or dashboard video captured the impact.
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Independence Police Department headquarters in Missouri. The agency is investigating the Oct. 11, 2026, crash involving a police SUV that killed businesswoman and mother Misty Leslie. (Google Maps)
A public records request filed under Missouri’s Sunshine Law seeks the crash reports, dispatch logs, available video and the department’s policies governing emergency driving.
Leslie worked as a district manager for Signet Jewelers, supporting the Banter by Piercing Pagoda brand. She also owned EBW Photography, a company dedicated to documenting meaningful moments in people’s lives, according to her obituary.
Relatives described Leslie as a driven and competitive leader who cared deeply about her employees and approached every part of her life with passion.
Above all, her family said, Leslie took the greatest pride in her daughter, Emarea Leslie.
“Of all the titles Misty held throughout her life, being Emarea’s mom was the one that mattered most,” the obituary read.
Leslie’s friend Christel Meinhold also paid tribute to the single mother, describing a close friendship built around raising their children and supporting each other through life’s challenges.
Misty Leslie, 48, was a district manager with Signet Jewelers and owned EBW Photography. She was killed in an Oct. 11, 2026, crash involving an Independence Police Department SUV. (Credit: ebw_photography_by_misty_ Instagram)
“If you knew Misty, you knew that woman couldn’t do ANYTHING halfway,” Meinhold wrote in a Facebook tribute, recalling Leslie’s dedication to her career, photography and motherhood.
The women also developed close relationships with each other’s children, with Meinhold describing Leslie as an important presence in her son’s life.
“I wish we had one more three-hour conversation that solved absolutely nothing,” Meinhold wrote.
A funeral service for Leslie was held Oct. 19 in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
News Media has also contacted the Missouri State Highway Patrol to determine whether it is assisting with the investigation, along with Signet Jewelers for comment on Leslie’s death.