Family of woman killed by drunk driver in Belleville says justice system failed her
Ashley Dancy was a 35-year-old mother of two young children, a dedicated healthcare worker and, as part of a tight-night family, was “everybody’s favorite.”
Members of her extended family said they are grieving her untimely loss – and grieving needlessly.
Dancy died at Saint Louis University Hospital on Feb. 27 after a Freeburg man with a 12-year history of driving under the influence of alcohol slammed into the rear of her car, pushing her into a busy intersection.
Brandon L. Wilson has since been charged with reckless homicide in addition to four more counts of aggravated DUI. With a history of alcohol-related charges dating back to November of 2009, Dancy’s survivors say the St. Clair County court is culpable in its failure of keeping Wilson off the streets.
“This is a huge loss for our family,” said Dr. Jacqueline Kemp Simmons, Dancy’s aunt and a retired professor of psychology at McKendree University. “We are resolved as a family to get justice for Ashley.”
Sheila Dancy said going forward without her daughter is going to be “terribly hard.”
“Ashley was beautiful, loving, cared about people, was in the medical field, and was highly loved by her patients and colleagues,” she said.
”No one ever had anything bad to say about her. Once you got to know her, you loved her.. Everyone from all over always talked about how sweet and kind Ashley was. She was a loving mother, sister, daughter, niece and cousin and great friend.”
An outpouring of sympathy and offers of assistance have been welcomed, the family says. Dancy said witnesses to the crash that took her daughter’s life have reached out to her with condolences and concern about what she called the lack of justice that led to the needless grieving.
“We’re getting so many phone calls, so much love and kindness everyday. I am so grateful to everybody,” she said.
A GoFund Me page has been established on behalf of Dancy’s children, 14-year-old Allona and 8-year-old Ayden. As of Thursday afternoon, it had raised $13,398 against a goal of just $5,000.
“While her funeral costs are covered we would like to raise money to help support her children navigate through this difficult time,” the page says. “The funds would be used to help her children maintain the life that Ashley created for them, from extra curricular activities, family outings and even saving for college.”
Kemp Simmons, Dancy’s aunt, said her family is close and devastated by its loss.
Dancy worked as a registered medical assistant and had designs on becoming a nurse, Kemp Simmons said. She learned that her niece was good at her job after visiting her at work last October.
She described an outpouring of patients and colleagues “expressing their gratitude to have Ashley in their lives.”
“One of her patients told me how much she loved Ashley and how much Ashley cared about her patients,” Kemp Simmons said.
Kemp Simmons also described Dancy as having a rare combination of physical beauty and humility.
“She was drop dead gorgeous from the inside out. She had natural beauty,” she said. “Her hair was thick and it flowed. When she put on make up – and that was rare – it took her outer beauty to another level. Her inner beauty equaled her outer beauty.
“She did not let it define the person she was. Sometimes I don’t think she even knew how special she was. I called her my mini me, but she was three times more beautiful than me.”
Dancy was devastated by the loss of her father in 2013, her aunt said. She said she remained close to her mother, her aunt and her Uncle Freddy, who became “like a second father.” Those bonds were “unique,” Kemp Simmons said.
Kemp Simmons said she was at church when she received news about the four-vehicle collision that claimed her niece’s young life on that Sunday morning. Her emotions have run the gambit from shock and sadness to anger and pain, she said.
“I am a motherless child. I lost my mother when I was 16-years old, so I grieve for her children,” said Kemp Simmons.
She now says she’s left the anger behind and is focusing her grief toward justice. She said on Sunday that “I actually prayed for (Brian Wilson’s) soul.”
“Now, we as a family must be resolved to seek justice,” she said. “You can’t do that if you are controlled by anger or filled with bitterness, anger and hatred. You gotta let that go.”
Ashley Muelchi, a 25-year friend, said she was with the oldest of Dancy’s two children when she received word of the crash. She said she fainted, then fought to keep her emotions in check for the sake of the teenager.
A cousin broke the news to Dancy’s children, Muelchi said. It’s up to family and friends to support them in their grief.
“Ashley would want me to do the best I can to keep her family as strong as possible and get through this,” she said. “This keeps me mentally stable. It gives me something to do to keep my mind off of it. Ashley was an amazing friend. She bent over backwards. Anytime of the day or night you could call her. We never had an argument. She was that kind of person. She was very understanding, very trustworthy, loyal and just amazing.”
Services for Dancy have been set for March 19 at Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, 801 S. 50th Street in Cahokia Heights. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to noon with the funeral to follow.
This story was originally published March 13, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
