Similar ammunition evidence has prompted testing as authorities investigate the killing of 17-year-old Alyssa Wilson and an earlier I-55 shooting.
ST. LOUIS — Investigators examining the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Alyssa Wilson on Interstate 170 are also looking at whether evidence from her killing could be connected to another highway shooting reported three days earlier in St. Louis.
The expanded inquiry comes as Willie Herndon faces first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges in Wilson’s Oct. 14 death. His wife, Taiya Herndon, is charged with hindering prosecution. Authorities have said the couple did not know Wilson, and investigators have not publicly established a motive. The charges are allegations, and neither defendant has been convicted in the case.
Wilson was driving south on I-170 in Overland on her way to the St. Louis Zoo when she passed a white SUV stopped along the highway, investigators said. Surveillance video showed a person outside the SUV shortly before a gunshot was heard. Wilson was struck, her car crashed into a concrete median and she later died at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, according to court records.
Investigators later recovered a cartridge case near the area where they believe the shot was fired. Authorities also seized a firearm and ammunition while searching the Illinois hotel room where the Herndons had been staying, according to court records. Those findings became part of a broader investigation into whether the evidence could be associated with other incidents.
One focus is an Oct. 11 shooting involving a vehicle that had been traveling near Interstate 55 and Bates Avenue in St. Louis. Police said a 37-year-old driver was behind a white SUV when that vehicle pulled to the side. The driver went around the SUV, and the driver’s vehicle was later found to have been struck by gunfire. No one was injured in that incident.
Investigators recovered a cartridge case from the I-55 shooting and another from the area connected to Wilson’s killing. Court records cited by news organizations say the casings carried the same manufacturer and ammunition markings. Authorities have stressed that the similarity alone does not establish that the same firearm was used in both shootings.
Laboratory testing was pending to determine whether ballistic evidence could establish a stronger connection between the two cases. Authorities had not announced a final testing result as of Wednesday, and no additional charge tied to the Oct. 11 shooting had been publicly announced against Willie Herndon.
The Major Case Squad has said Willie Herndon provided investigators with information about his alleged involvement in Wilson’s shooting and information that could relate to other ongoing investigations. Officials have not disclosed the substance of those statements or said whether they have produced evidence sufficient for additional charges.
The investigation into Wilson’s death moved quickly after police reviewed highway surveillance footage and tracked a white Buick Enclave seen around the time of the shooting. Investigators followed the vehicle to a hotel in Illinois, where authorities said they found the SUV with a different license plate and later recovered additional evidence from the hotel room.
Wilson’s family has described her as a teenager focused on the future. She was a senior at McCluer North High School, where she was a student-athlete and office aide. Her father, Robert Hickman, said she planned to attend college and was looking forward to turning 18. She had been traveling to meet a friend at the zoo when she was killed.
Willie Herndon is being held on a $1 million cash bond in the Missouri case, while Taiya Herndon’s bond was set at $500,000 cash. Investigators continue to examine the fatal I-170 shooting, the earlier I-55 incident and any other cases that may be relevant. Authorities have not announced a motive for Wilson’s killing or a confirmed ballistic link between the two highway shootings.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 21, 2026.