Mom walks a mile away from multi-car crash, abandoning injured kids, MO cops say
Two children were seriously injured in a multi-vehicle highway crash and their mother walked away from the scene, abandoning them, Missouri officials said.
Courtney Brown, of St. Louis, was driving east on Interstate 270 on Monday, May 12, when she suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, causing a crash involving four vehicles, according to a criminal complaint filed by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Brown’s two children were sitting unrestrained in the front seat and were seriously injured in the crash, the complaint read.
No attorney information was listed for Brown.
When Brown stopped on the highway, a driver behind her tried, but failed, to swerve around and crashed into her vehicle, according to the complaint.
Then a second car hit, impacting with enough force to “slide” Brown’s vehicle into the path of a third driver, who also struck her vehicle, the complaint read.
After the crash, investigators said Brown got out of her vehicle and walked away, leaving her children “laying unconscious across the center console,” the document read. According to the complaint, an officer who was at the scene ordered her to stop, but she kept going and was later found and taken into custody about a mile away from the crash.
At the time of her arrest, Brown appeared to be intoxicated, a trooper said, as her eyes were bloodshot, her speech “confused,” and her movements slow and “deliberate,” the complaint read.
Investigators said marijuana and amphetamines were found in her system when she was taken to a hospital, according to the complaint, and she also didn’t have a valid license.
Her children were seriously injured in the crash, and they were taken to a hospital and intubated, the complaint read.
Records show Brown is facing charges including DWI causing serious physical injury, endangering the welfare of a child, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a valid license.
This story was originally published May 14, 2025 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Mom walks a mile away from multi-car crash, abandoning injured kids, MO cops say."