Woman Injected Heroin Before Causing Fatal Car Crash, Police Say

A woman who caused an accident on Willott Road in St. Peters, killing two elderly people April 13, told police she had injected heroin before the accident.

Christine Marie Brown, 42, of the first block of Debbie Drive in St. Peters, was charged Thursday with possession of a controlled substance and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia.

St. Peters Police said Brown’s car crossed the center lane of traffic on Willot Road near Crescent Hill Drive and struck another car head on, killing two people in an oncoming car.

Ruth Thimmig, a 91-year-old St. Peters resident, and Donald Gemienhart, 90, of St. Charles, both died from injuries sustained in the crash. 

A paramedic responding to the accident told police she found a syringe inside Brown’s bra while treating her wounds. An officer then searched Brown’s car and found five capsules that contained heroin, police said.

According to court documents, Brown told police she had used the syringe to inject heroin into her arm. She told police she had just driven to St. Louis to buy heroin.

Officer Melissa Doss, a spokesperson for St. Peters Police, said police are waiting on results of Brown’s blood test.

Brown is being treated at an area hospital for her injuries.

For more crime information on St. Peters Patch, see the following articles:

• Three Face Dealing Heroin Charges After Drug Task Force Searches St. Peters Home
• Suspected Heroin Dealer in St. Peters Busted by Undercover Officer