FATAL CRASH VICTIM’S VEHICLE ABANDONED NEAR EOLIA - UPDATED

PIKE COUNTY, MO -- A fatal crash north of Eolia is now raising new questions as authorities continue searching for a missing vehicle tied to the incident.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a 26-year-old St. Louis man was struck and killed by a semi-truck just before 5 a.m. Thursday on U.S. Highway 61 near Route WW.

Troopers say the man was walking from west to east across the highway when he entered the path of a semi driven by a 49-year-old man from Haysville, Kansas. The driver attempted to stop, but the pedestrian was struck between the lanes.

The victim was transported to Pike County Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased a short time later.

Investigators say the man had been driving a silver Ford Focus bearing Missouri license plate EE5K1B prior to the crash. That vehicle was later abandoned at an unknown location and has still not been located.

Authorities believe locating the vehicle is critical to determining what led up to the deadly incident. Earlier reports of a disturbance in the area of Highway 61 and Route WW may be connected.

Anyone with information on the location of the vehicle is urged to contact the Pike County Sheriff’s Office at 573-324-3202.