Clinton County woman killed on notoriously dangerous Missouri highway

A Clinton County woman was killed in a two-car crash in Missouri Tuesday.

The woman was identified as Patricia J. Van Hoose, 76, of the 1800 block of Mary Jane Lane, Carlyle, according to Kathleen Diebold Hargrave, director of the Office of Regional Medical Examiner.

According to Missouri Highway Patrol records, Van Hoose was traveling northbound on Missouri Route 21 in Jefferson County at about 10:55 in a 2012 Chrysler 200. She crossed the centerline into the southbound lane near Liberty Ridge Road and struck a 2020 Toyota Sienna head on.

Van Hoose was transported by Arch Air Medical Services helicopter to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, where she was pronounced dead at 12:38 p.m.

The driver of the Sienna, a 23-year-old female, was in serious condition when she was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital South. Two passengers, a 23- and a 29-year-old female, were in moderate condition, according to a Missouri Highway Patrol report of the crash. All three are residents of Missouri, but their identities have not been released.

The stretch of Missouri Route 21, just north of Desoto, has been known for decades, both locally and in media, as “Blood Alley” for its high number of fatal crashes.

This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 5:12 PM.