Highway Patrol Trooper James Bava, 25, of Mexico, was killed Friday as he was trying to stop a motorcycle he had observed violating traffic laws, Cpl. Scott White said Monday.
White, information officer for the patrol's Jefferson City-based Troop F region, added, "The patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control located the driver of the motorcycle this weekend. He was interviewed but not taken into custody."
Bava's funeral will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday at the Dardenne Presbyterian Church, 7400 Route N (east of U.S. 40/I-64) in O'Fallon - close to his family's home in Lake St. Louis, where he grew up.
His visitation will be from 4-9 p.m. Thursday at the Baue Funeral Home, 620 Jefferson St., St. Charles.
Meanwhile, White said, the patrol's investigation into the fatal accident continues.
Bava had reported observing a motorcyclist commit a traffic violation on Route FF in Audrain County, west of Mexico, at 8:29 a.m. last Friday - but Troop F radio operators got no response when they tried to contact him a few minutes later.
The patrol's initial accident report said Bava's westbound 2014 Dodge Charger ran off the left side of Route FF, about two-tenths of a mile west of County Road 977, hit several trees, then overturned and caught fire.
The Patrol's Troop C Crash Team from the St. Louis area - which investigates and reconstructs accidents - was called in immediately.
White said Monday the team has "not released a cause of the crash - and if speed can be determined, it will be addressed in the reconstruction report."
White said the accident has generated a lot of reports.
"Once the reports are complete, they will be forwarded to the Audrain County prosecuting attorney's office for review and consideration of charges," he said.
Bava was appointed to the patrol on July 1, 2013, and was a member of its 97th Recruit Class.
He had been assigned to work in the Mexico area, which is part of the Troop F region, and was the 31st trooper in the patrol's history to die in the line of duty.
Bava is survived by his fiancée, Rose Sanders; his parents, James and Alyce Bava; one grandmother, Mary Brindy; one brother; three sisters; and four nieces and nephews.
Contributions in Bava's memory are suggested to the MASTERS, 5287 Hwy 67 N., Poplar Bluff, MO 63901.
The MASTERS - Missouri Association of State Troopers Emergency Relief Society - was formed in 1979 to provide financial aid "for a trooper's immediate surviving family member (wife or husband) and children" when the trooper is killed in the line of duty, the organization explains on its website, adding, "The MASTERS assists with funeral expenses, loan payments, mortgage payments and immediate bills. It also provides scholarships for the officer's dependent children."
In addition to financial assistance, the website explained, "directors of The MASTERS from that area take the trooper's family under their protective guidance, and from this fund help solve their financial problems."