Kare11
Best friends killed in car crash on way to Cardinals game
The two best friends were just 20 years old. They were instantly linked at the hips since kindergarten, all the way up until their very last moments together.
ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. — Families and a whole community in St. Clair County are mourning the sudden deaths of Teagan Kelley and Ashton Jackson, who were killed in a horrific car crash on Saturday.
“They were a part of each other’s daily routines. They are 20 years old, and they never got off the phone without saying, ‘I love you.’ They just had a bond that couldn’t be broken,” said Mindy Kelley, Teagan’s mom.
A special bond is what Kelley and Jackson shared since the age of 4.
“They never left each other without saying, ‘I love you.’ That was one thing they always did, said, ‘I love you,’” said Brian Jackson, Ashton’s dad.
Their parents, Brian and Sabrina Jackson, and David and Mindy Kelley, are now living in their worst nightmare.
“This is probably one of the worst things a parent can go through,” said Sabrina.
“As a parent, you don’t expect this. You can’t prepare for something like this,” said David.
Teagan and Ashton were on Highway 15 in Cahokia Heights Saturday night on their way to a Cardinals game. That’s when police said Teagan crashed into another vehicle, veered off the road, and hit a light pole.
Taken too soon, Teagan later died at Touchette Hospital.
Ashton was life-flighted to a St. Louis Hospital and was put on life-support.
“To get the call that your child has been taken to the hospital and the uncertainty of not knowing what has happened,” Sabrina said.
After a long and difficult battle, Sabrina said Ashton passed away on Sunday night.
“We know that even though the boys aren’t here anymore, they are our family. And Teagan was our son, just as much as Ashton was theirs. We love them,” she said.
Ashton was able to help save two lives through the gift of organ donation, something he’s always wanted to do.
“One of his kidneys went to a lady out in St. Louis, and another kidney went to a 16-year-old boy in Indiana. His legacy hopefully will continue,” said Sabrina.
Bonded from the beginning to the end.
“They were inseparable. If Teagan wasn’t here at Ashton’s house, Ashton would be at my house. We shared holidays. We went on many vacations together,” Mindy said.
The two graduated from Belleville East High School together just two years ago.
The families say they’ve received an outpouring of support from friends, community members, and colleagues.
“We have people reaching out to us that we didn’t even know Teagan knew, saying what an amazing person he is and the things he’s done for them,” Mindy said.
Ashton and Teagan’s families will be holding their funeral services together this Friday and Saturday. They said that’s exactly how the two friends would have wanted it.
“We’ve been on the phone constantly with the Kelley family and we’re just supporting each other, and we’re keeping the boys together. Their funerals are together, they passed away together, and we’re letting them go out together,” said Sabrina.
Teagan worked at Marco’s Express in Swansea, where Ashton also used to work.
The response to their deaths was so huge that the restaurant closed down for a few days after the accident to mourn their loss.
Marco’s Express is also closing the restaurant for Ashton and Teagan’s celebration of life on Saturday night.
The unexpected loss of both Ashton and Teagan has prompted two GoFundMe pages to be set up to help support the Jackson and Kelley families with funeral expenses.
You can donate here to Ashton’s family.
If you’d like to help Teagan’s family, you can donate here.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
Jeremy Jourdain was 17 when he was last seen on Halloween 2016.
BEMIDJI, Minn. — The search for Jeremy Jourdain, who was last seen on Halloween in 2016, continues now eight years later.
Jourdain was last seen at a family member’s house in Bemidji, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs. He left the residence near the 500 block of Wood Avenue after midnight and while people followed him, no one was able to find him.
Jourdain was 17 at the time.
Officials said he was wearing a blue and grey sweatshirt, and blue jeans when last seen. He is Native American and is described as 6 foot 5 and 175 pounds.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, you can contact the Bemidji Police Department at (218) 333-9111. Tips can also be sent to 1-833-560-2065, or you can email ojs_mmu@bia.gov.
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