A suspected road-rage incident between two men near St. Martins has led to the death of one and a search for the other.
The victim, a Jefferson City-area man who has not had prior dealings with law enforcement, has not been identified.
The Cole County Sheriff's Department is investigating the incident, which turned into an assault. It occurred between 1:40-2 p.m. June 13 in the St. Martins area, possibly U.S. 50 or Route T.
The victim's truck is described as a light tan, 2005 GMC quad-cab pickup. The description of the suspect was a heavy-set, white male, covered in tattoos, wearing a big ring on one hand and driving a blue Ford Taurus.
At 5:44 a.m. June 16, one of the victim's daughters called the Sheriff's Department to make a report and say her father was in a medically induced coma due to a brain bleed. She stated she tried to get her father to make a report, but he declined.
Department officials told the woman they wanted to speak with her father when he woke up - but he never did.
At 2:30 a.m. June 17, the daughter called back to say her father was brain dead and on life support. They were going to donate his organs and get an autopsy. The autopsy was completed Monday, but it could be several weeks before any of the findings will be available.
During a Wednesday press conference, Sheriff's Department spokesman Capt. John Wheeler said they've had one detective dedicated to this case.
"We've gone along the route we believe the victim took," he said. "We're also trying to look at a surveillance video from security cameras that may have been active in the area."
Wheeler said without being able to talk to the victim, sheriff's investigators haven't been able to determine what actually led to the assault.
"For now, this is a suspected road rage incident, but all we know for sure is both of the individuals were out of their vehicles and blows were thrown," he said. "Remember, we're getting this all second hand."
He cautioned not everything being said on social media about the case is true.
Anyone with information on this incident that could help in the investigation should contact the Cole County Sheriff's Department at 634-9160 or submit tips at jeffcitycrimestoppers.com.