In Wisconsin, a 32-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly causing a car crash that killed one woman and injured three others.
According to the police, she was traveling up to 102 mph in a 35 mph zone moments before she struck the back of another vehicle.
According to court documents, A’Jena Wynn-Howard was arrested on Saturday and is presently being charged with two charges of first-degree willfully endangering safety and one count of first-degree reckless homicide.
On Saturday, May 10, 2025, Milwaukee Police Department officers responded to 911 reports of a multi-vehicle collision in the 4300 block of N 76th Street, per a criminal complaint.
Three cars were involved in the collision, and one caller informed the dispatcher that “one of them was split in half.” Another caller claimed that someone had been “ejected from one of the vehicles.”
When first responders arrived on the scene, they reported that a Chevrolet Traverse and a Jeep Patriot were in the northbound lane of N 76th Street when Wynn-Howard’s 2021 Jeep Wrangler impacted the Traverse.
The body of an adult female, later identified as Tonya Missouri-Smith, was found inside the Traverse, which had “severe damage to the rear and driver’s side,” according to officers. Her son, who was also in the car, was hurt but not seriously.
According to the police, Wynn-Howard’s Jeep had significant front-end damage and was situated “over 400 feet north” of the other two vehicles.
“Complainant states that the investigation revealed the Jeep Wrangler, driven by the Defendant, drove at a very high rate of speed into the back of the Chevrolet Traverse, driven by deceased victim Tonya Missouri-Smith, and forced that vehicle into the back of the Jeep Patriot,” according to the complaint.
Missouri-Smith died from multiple blunt force injuries associated with a car accident, according to a subsequent autopsy. These injuries included fractures to all of her ribs, as well as to her sternum and pelvis, brain hemorrhage, face lacerations, and a severed spinal cord. She also cut her intestines, liver, spleen, lungs, and aorta.
Missouri-Smith’s son said to the police that his mother was traveling west and was about to make a right turn when they were hit from behind.
According to the police, Wynn-Howard uninvitedly opened the door and climbed into the rear of a squad car while on the scene.
“The Defendant sat in the back of the squad and appeared to be waiting for police, appearing to fall asleep in the back of the squad while she was waiting,” according to the complaint.
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Wynn-Howard allegedly admitted to operating the Jeep Wrangler that was involved in the collision when the officer saw what was going on and went to his vehicle, stating, “That’s my car, I crashed.”
“Complainant notes again that the Defendant is the listed owner of the Jeep Wrangler, which is the car that caused the three vehicle collision,” according to the complaint. “Thus, this statement is consistent with the Defendant stating she was driving her car during the crash. The Defendant then went on to state ‘Take me to jail. I crashed that car.’ The Defendant then asked ‘Did I kill anybody?’”
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Wynn-Howard was “slowly increasing” at 96 mph five seconds prior to the collision, according to data from her vehicle. The final data point before the collision indicated that she was “traveling 102 mph.” 35 mph was the posted speed limit.
According to documents, Wynn-Howard is presently being held at the Milwaukee County Jail on a $40,000 cash-only bond.
