Two killed in Saturday accidents

Two people were killed in separate traffic accidents Saturday in Southeast Missouri, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

Killed were Johnie Tettleton, 25, of Doniphan, Mo., and Thomas Byars, 9, of Decatur, Ill.

Tettleton died in an accident at 12:15 a.m. on Highway 21, three miles north of Doniphan.

The accident occurred when a northbound car driven by Knakoa Payne, 22, of Doniphan crossed the center line and struck a southbound vehicle driven by Tettleton, the patrol said.

Payne was charged with involuntary manslaughter, careless and imprudent driving, failure to drive on the right half of the roadway and failure to register a motor vehicle annually.

Byars died in a one-car accident that occurred at 1:50 p.m. on Interstate 55, two miles north of New Madrid.

Three other members of the Decatur, Ill., family were injured in the accident.

The driver of the car, Kesisha Byars, 15, lost control of the southbound vehicle while changing lanes. The vehicle skidded into the median and overturned several times, the patrol said.

Kesisha Byars and Keith Byars, 5, were taken by ambulance to Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. Georgina Byars, 40, was taken by air ambulance to St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.