A tragic accident claimed the lives of an Oklahoma father and son as their plane went down on their return journey from a St. Louis Cardinals game, due to adverse weather conditions.

Jimmy Don Lewis, 48, and his 22-year-old son, Brayden Ty Lewis, were discovered deceased amidst the debris of their Beechcraft Baron 55 by emergency teams Friday morning.

Reports indicate that the aircraft likely crashed just before 11 p.m. on Thursday night near Waterloo, Illinois, according to information from KSDK.

Despite the late-night crash, rescue operations weren’t initiated until around 2:30 p.m. the following day, prompted by reports of a potential plane crash, as confirmed by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.

Authorities, collaborating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), worked diligently to pinpoint the search area and track the last known position of the aircraft.

Aerial search efforts were thwarted due to bad weather, not allowing crews to ‘safely conduct’ operations. 

‘The Illinois State Police aircraft responded and conducted an aerial search utilizing thermal imaging technology; however, the weather conditions and cloud cover prevented crews from locating the aircraft,’ the sheriff’s department said. 

Around 6am, the Waterloo Fire Command activated a drone search. Two hours later, the aircraft was located in a tree line near a rural field and the two men were confirmed to have died. 

Police believe the pair ran into bad weather on their way home to West Siloam Springs, near the Oklahoma-Arkansas border, after the Cardinals game. 

Flight data suggested the pair had tried to turn the aircraft in a possible ‘attempt to avoid the storm, before entering what appeared to be a descending spiral,’ the sheriff’s department said. 

‘Radar contact was subsequently lost.’ 

The crash remains under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board. 

The Lewis family appeared to be an all-American family who loved to travel and recently welcomed a grandbaby. 

Lewis’ fit wife, Jill, posted photos from several of the family’s trips, including a romantic European trip with her husband, where the pair visited Rome and Venice, Italy, among other cities, in May 2024. 

The family, who lives in a $1 million home, also loved to take ski trips together to Winter Park in Colorado. 

Brayden, who went by Ty, recently took a trip to Spain, France, and Italy with his girlfriend Payton, as well as a boys’ trip to Mexico. 

Brayden’s social media showed the young man loved football, having played in high school, and enjoyed bull riding as a child. 

He also enjoyed riding his motorcycle and working out, his social media showed. 

His sister, Kelsey, who welcomed a new baby a few months ago, posted her grief on Facebook, alongside a photo of herself, her father, brother, and husband in the private plane together from an unknown date. 

‘Dad insisted on taking a picture he said: “Take a picture of all of us have to have them for memories,” and anyone who knows dad, he didn’t like pictures of himself, and I already know Ty was thinking: “Really a picture without my hat?” 

‘I love you both.’ 

Payton also posted a tribute on Instagram, writing ‘I will always love you. Till we meet again, my love.’  

The Daily Mail has reached out to friends and family for comment.  

A breakthrough in DNA technology has led to the arrest of a North Carolina man for the 1988 murder of a woman in Orlando, Florida. Tremendous advancements in forensic science have finally brought a suspect into the spotlight nearly four decades after the case turned cold, according to police reports.

On Thursday, the Orlando Police Department revealed that Willie J. Carpenter was captured by the U.S. Marshals Service’s North Carolina Regional Task Force. He is now facing charges of first-degree murder in connection with the demise of Diane Matthews.

Diane Matthews’ body was discovered on September 8, 1988, at the Orlando answering service facility where she was employed, located in the city’s downtown area.

Authorities stated that Matthews’ facial injuries were so extensive that her identity was initially unknown; a colleague later recognized her solely by her hair.

Detectives collected fingerprints and biological evidence from the crime scene and conducted numerous witness interviews, but DNA technology was not routinely used in criminal investigations at the time.

Although investigators preserved the evidence and continued pursuing leads, no suspect was identified, and the case eventually went cold.

The investigation took a significant turn more than two decades later when Carpenter’s DNA was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, following an unrelated arrest on charges related to a sexual offense in North Carolina with an underage female, police said.

Investigators identified Carpenter’s DNA as a potential match to biological evidence collected during the Matthews homicide investigation.

Detectives interviewed Carpenter in 2013, but he denied knowing Matthews and declined to provide a DNA sample.

When investigators interviewed Carpenter again in 2024, he voluntarily provided a DNA sample.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted additional testing on the sample, producing results in 2025 that further strengthened the evidentiary link between Carpenter and biological evidence recovered from the crime scene, police said.

Detectives then spent months reviewing the evidence, consulting with prosecutors and eliminating other potential suspects before seeking an arrest warrant this year.

Carpenter was taken into custody without incident and remains in North Carolina pending extradition to Florida.

News Media has reached out to the Orlando Police Department for additional information, including court records and details surrounding the investigation.

The country’s affection for Dairy Queen’s Blizzard seems to have cooled significantly.

Since the onset of 2025, Dairy Queen has faced a series of franchise closures, resulting in at least 46 store shutdowns across the United States. Texas has been hit the hardest due to the franchise operator, Project Lonestar, declining to modernize locations, which ultimately led to their removal from the Dairy Queen network. A staggering 42 outlets were shuttered in Texas within February and March, leaving ice cream fans searching for alternatives. (Perhaps it’s time for them to give McFlurry a shot.)

In the state of Alaska, DQ lovers faced disappointment as branches in Anchorage, Wasilla, and Palmer all closed at the beginning of July. As reported by the Anchorage Daily News, this leaves only one Dairy Queen in the entire state, situated in Soldotna—a quaint city home to about 4,332 people and brimming with wildlife such as bears, moose, caribou, and wild sheep across 200 acres of protected land.

Similarly, in Great Falls, Montana, a Dairy Queen with a history spanning 39 years decided to close its doors on June 13. There’s little point lamenting over this loss, as owner Steve Galloway is transitioning into the fast-casual Mediterranean dining arena.

These closures coincide with a broader trend as Americans encounter higher costs at drive-thrus nationwide. Federal statistics reveal a 3.5% increase in the price of dining out over the past year, prompting many budget-minded individuals to reconsider their indulgences like the Peanut Buster Parfait.

Considered one of the pioneers of soft serve ice cream, Dairy Queen was founded in 1940 in Illinois before getting acquired by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway in 1998. Today, it boasts roughly 7,800 locations in over 20 countries. And though the mainland is losing some Blizzard hotspots, the chain is reportedly plotting an expansion into Puerto Rico with 20 new “Grill & Chill” spots in the tropical U.S. territory.

To coax customers into its ice cream palace, Dairy Queen has made new Blizzard flavors like strawberry-mango mochi and Mexican hot chocolate. There have also been co-branded lip balms and pajamas featuring its breakfast line, plus a new partnership with the exhibition baseball team The Savannah Bananas, “bringing flips, fun and free shakes” to various ballparks. On social media, DQ is often heart-ed because of its “pup cups,” an off-menu frozen dog treat that’s usually free with purchase.

For those who still have a DQ in their midst, free Dilly Bars (vanilla ice cream surrounded by a frozen chocolate shell) are available for DQ Rewards members from July 13-19. The promotion marks National Ice Cream Day on July 19.

Alas, for Alaskans, the Blizzard warning still stands.