On the night of September 29, 2017, 18-year-old Phillip J. Anderson was riding as a passenger when an argument that began at a gas station on Noland Road spilled onto Interstate 70 in Independence, Missouri. Two vehicles exchanged gunfire during a rolling confrontation on the highway; Anderson was struck in the head by a bullet and was later found dead when his vehicle stopped near a QuikTrip on 40 Highway and Sterling Avenue.

Police investigation identified 26-year-old Michael T. Dumas of Pleasant Hill as a suspect. A friend reported Dumas was hiding in nearby woods and had confessed to having done something bad; he was taken into custody, admitted involvement in the incident but denied being a murderer, and was evaluated at a hospital after making comments suggesting he was suicidal. Prosecutors later indicted him for second-degree murder and armed criminal action in Anderson’s death.

After his release on bond, Dumas was charged in November 2018 with the murder of Sarah Simms, a cooperating witness in the Anderson case, a development Anderson’s family said compounded their grief and frustration. Does anyone have information about the events on I-70 that night or about witnesses who saw the vehicles involved?