Dupo man charged in 2025 fatal hit-n-run crash along Highway 30

HILLSBORO, Mo. – A Dupo, Illinois, man is charged with fatally striking a woman with his vehicle in Byrnes Mill last fall and then leaving the scene. According to a crash report filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the hit-and-run crash happened on the morning of Nov. 16, 2025, along westbound Highway 30 near Upper Byrnes Mill Road. The highway patrol said a pedestrian was walking along the highway when she was struck by a vehicle traveling westbound. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene just after 7:10 a.m. She was later identified as Alyssa J. Kalbach of High Ridge. Kalbach was 30. Later that day, MSHP investigators identified the make and potential model of the vehicle involved, and shared their findings on social media to solicit help from the public. With information on the hit-and-run disseminated via the media and public, investigators received a tip identifying the responsible vehicle as a 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche with Illinois registration. The highway patrol checked the registration on the vehicle and found it belonged to George W. Schmidt, 64, of Dupo. On the morning of Nov. 17, 2025, the Dupo Police Department contacted the Missouri State Highway Patrol to say Schmidt had come to "turn himself in." State troopers asked Schmidt to drive to Missouri to surrender to them, but a Dupo police officer advised Schmidt was intoxicated and could not drive. Instead, state troopers went to Dupo to interview Schmidt. According to an arrest report filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Schmidt admitted driving on Highway 30 on the morning of the hit-and-run. The report states Schmidt told investigators, "I looked down, I looked up. There's this black mass in the highway. I swerved, crash. What else can be in the highway at 5:30 in the morning but a deer? I assumed it was a deer. I pulled over and made sure I was ok. I drove on to work." Schmidt said he didn't exit his vehicle to see what he hit. Schmidt said he routinely consumes alcohol and marijuana, according to the arrest report, and that he drank six shooters the night before the hit-and-run. After seeing the news story of the fatal hit-and-run, Schmidt told the highway patrol he contacted his insurer to report the crash and then contacted Dupo police to surrender. The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Schmidt with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.