This website is best viewed in a browser that supports web standards.

Skip to content or, if you would rather, Skip to navigation.

Listen Live
Donate
MARYVILLE

KXCV-KRNW


News Brief

July 26, 2023Creston, Iowa |  By: Jeremy Werner

Candlelight vigil held in Creston for two dead teens

candlelight vigil

CRESTON, Iowa - A candlelight vigil was held in Creston to remember two college students who lost their lives in a car crash near Afton.

The Iowa State Patrol says the accident occurred at around 10:30 p.m. last Friday. A 2017 Chevy Malibu, driven by Maddalyn Stewart of Maloy, 19, failed to stop at a stop sign on 190th St. near U.S. 34 and was struck by a Ford F-350 driven by 59-year-old Andy Merritt of Seymour.

One of the Malibu passengers, Halsie Barnes of Tingley, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene. Barnes wasn't wearing a seatbelt.

Ella Leonard of Winterset, 19, who was also a passenger, later succumbed to her injuries. Leonard was wearing a seatbelt.

20-year-old Abigail Barnes of Lamoni and Stewart are in critical condition. Counselors in Creston and Mount Ayr are available for support in those impacted communities. The Patrol says the investigation is ongoing.