Driver keeps drinking after off-road crash that killed 11-year-old, Missouri cops say

A Missouri man told cops he kept drinking up to six more beers after an off-road crash that killed a young girl, media outlets report.

It was about 4 a.m. Saturday when Brandon Reed, 31, was driving a 2019 Polaris UTV up a hill on private property near Knox City, with 11-year-old MaryJane Shea as his passenger, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report. Reed lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree, throwing off the Hurdland girl, according to the report.

MaryJane was pinned under the UTV, the Kirksville Daily Express reported. She was taken to the hospital, where she died from her injuries, according to the police report.
Reed told a state trooper who responded to the crash that he’d drunk a 12-pack of beer, KTVO reported. Reed told investigators he kept drinking after the crash, estimating he had between two and six beers, the Kirksville TV station reported.

According to court documents, Reed took a breath test about 90 minutes after the crash, and his blood-alcohol content was .118, the Kirksville Daily Express reported

Reed, of Kirksville, was charged with felony involuntary manslaughter, according to an arrest report.

In an obituary, MaryJane was described as a girl who “always had a smile.”

“She loved her family, Girl Scouts, gymnastics, all things glitter, French-braiding her sister’s hair, teaching her brother to cook and the color lime green,” according to the obituary. “She was an independent, strong-willed, fun-loving girl with a side of tomboy.”
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