In the small town of Trenton, Missouri, the life of 46-year-old David M. Willey was cut short on the night of May 10, 2025. A white male known for his love of dirt track racing and his work as a truck driver for Jamesport Concrete Company, Willey was found with a fatal gunshot wound at a residence on Ellison Street. Emergency services were dispatched to the scene around 11:20 p.m. following reports of a gunshot and a man with a gun, but Willey succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the homicide quickly identified a suspect: 45-year-old Chad Kelly of Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Following the shooting, Kelly fled Trenton, sparking a multi-agency manhunt involving the Trenton Police Department, Grundy County Sheriff's Office, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The pursuit crossed state lines into Iowa, where law enforcement officials tracked Kelly's movements.
In the early morning hours of May 11, 2025, the Iowa State Patrol attempted to pull Kelly over on Interstate 35 in Clarke County. After a brief continuation, his vehicle was disabled with stop sticks. As law enforcement approached the stopped vehicle, they discovered that Kelly had sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was deceased. Authorities have not released a motive for the shooting. David Willey was a 1997 graduate of Trenton High School and a father to three daughters.
