Search fatalities

Cadence Brown

Age : 18

Gender : Female

Race : White

Date : 12/28/2023

Location : U.S. Highway 29 near mile marker 205

City : Valley

County : Chambers

State : Alabama

Agency : Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Valley Police Department

Officer(s) :Unknown

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Passenger killed by police chase

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON FOR CHASE: Vehicle reportedly stolen at gunpoint in Union Springs.
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NARRATIVE:
On 12/28/2023, 18-year-old Cadence Brown was killed while riding as a passenger in a 2018 Kia Forte that crashed during a police pursuit on U.S. Highway 29 in Valley, Alabama. Brown was a passenger in the fleeing vehicle and was not its driver.
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Authorities said the Kia had been stolen at gunpoint in Union Springs the previous day. A Lee County Sheriff's Office deputy spotted the vehicle on Interstate 85 near mile marker 66 and began pursuing it north toward Valley.
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The deputy lost sight of the Kia near Exit 77 and terminated the initial pursuit. Minutes later, Valley Police Department officers spotted the Kia near Valley High School on U.S. Highway 29, and the police pursuit resumed.
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At approximately 9:46 a.m., the Kia, driven by 20-year-old Wesley T. McKinnon, crossed into opposing traffic on U.S. Highway 29 near mile marker 205 and collided head-on with a 2005 Nissan Altima.
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Brown was critically injured and transported to a hospital, where he died. Brown was not alleged to have been driving the Kia or controlling its movement during the pursuit.
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The collision also critically injured 98-year-old Aron C. Haynes of Valley, who was a passenger in the uninvolved Nissan Altima. Haynes was transported to East Alabama Medical Center-Lanier, where he died. The Altima's driver, 64-year-old Regina G. Rutledge, was seriously injured and subsequently died from her injuries, bringing the crash death toll to three.
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McKinnon survived the crash. After his release from the hospital, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency troopers arrested him. He was initially charged with two counts of reckless murder. The case was later expanded to account for all three deaths.
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At the time of the Valley crash, McKinnon was reportedly free on bond in a separate Barbour County reckless-murder case stemming from a 2021 police chase crash that killed a woman.
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On 04/30/2025, McKinnon pleaded guilty to three counts of reckless murder, felony attempting to elude and receiving stolen property. On 05/22/2025, he was sentenced to 60 years for each reckless-murder conviction, ordered to run consecutively, plus additional sentences on the other convictions, for a total of 200 years in prison.
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The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Highway Patrol Division investigated the fatal collision.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.valleytimes-news.com/2023/12/two-dead-in-valley-crash-during-police-chase/
https://www.wtvm.com/2023/12/28/police-pursuit-ends-two-vehicle-crash-hwy-29-chambers-county/
https://cnaw2news.com/2023/12/28/two-killed-in-head-on-collision-during-chase-in-valley-alea-says/
https://apnews.com/article/baad65c2cc49cc08097af4b991637408
https://unionsprings.news/stolen-vehicle-police-chase-and-crash-leaves-two-deceased
https://unionsprings.news/wesley-mckinnon-sentenced-200-years-deadly-high-speed-chase-chambers-county