Questions Remain About Crash That Killed A Navy Combat Veteran In St. Louis

CBS St. Louis

June 06, 2021

Friends and family said goodbye to 32-year old Barry Light, who was buried at Weese Cemetery in Eminence, Missouri. A celebration of his life was held afterward at the Arnold VFW post.
Alex Schwent was Light's best friend from boyhood. "Barry Light always seems to see the good and positive in every person in every situation he was in," he said.
Light was killed in a motorcycle accident around 3 a.m. on May 29 on the elevated portion of I-64 in downtown St. Louis. Police said his crashed motorcycle was found around 11th Street but he couldn't be found and was declared missing.

According to a family member, after Light's wife was notified he was missing, she tracked his cellphone and found his body in an area around 16th Street, under the elevated highway.
Police are investigating to uncover the circumstances surrounding his death but for now family and friends don't know what happened to cause his death. The family is asking anyone who may have been traveling in the area to call CrimeStoppers, they may have information that could help in the investigation.
"It's awful, especially not knowing the real way that he died. No one seems to have any answers on this," said Ron Stocker.
Stocker was Light's senior chief in the Navy Seabees and they serviced together in Iraq. "Barry was a great guy. He was an American hero you know," he said.

Light was a native of the Pevely and Herculaneum area. He was married with two children and his wife is five months pregnant with their third child.

Hundreds turned out for a standing-room only funeral Saturday morning at the VFW post in Arnold. Some of his fellow members of the Armed Forces of America Motorcycle Club joined the procession that drove more than two hours to the cemetery where he was buried.
Light's nickname in the motorcycle club was Padlock because he always lost his keys. At the funeral, members of the club fastened small padlocks to their club jackets and set the keys inside his casket.
"He was loved by everyone he met," Stocker said. "Everyone that came in contact with Barry just loved the kid."
Light had recently purchased a semi and started a trucking company. He'd recently returned from his first long-haul trip.
A GoFundMe page was set up to help the family.