In September 2024, a Princeton woman who had reported abuse by her ex-boyfriend was found dead in Missouri after he led troopers on a high-speed chase that ended in a shootout.
Delisha Evans, 38, was reportedly killed by her ex-boyfriend, 42-year-old Ryan Phillips, who later died in an exchange of gunfire with Missouri Highway Patrol following the pursuit.
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| Delisha Evans and Kids |
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| Delisha Evans |
Around 7:30 a.m. on September 7, 2024, Princeton police and fire crews got a call about a house fire on Winding Meadow Trail. When they got to the home, they found it badly damaged by fire.
Family members at the scene told officers that Delisha Evans was missing, and that he was her ex-boyfriend who set the house on fire.
They believed she was in danger so the police quickly named Ryan Phillips as the main suspect in Evans' disappearance.
Using license plate readers and a missing person alert, Princeton police worked with the Texas Rangers to track Phillips, and follow his vehicle as he drove toward Missouri.
When Missouri state troopers found Phillips' car in the St. Louis area and tried to pull him over, Phillips did not stop so troopers chased him until he crashed his vehicle.
After the crash, Phillips opened fire on the detectives but they fired back at him, and died at the scene after he was hit multiple times.
When troopers searched his car they found Evans' body inside. However, investigators have not yet said how Evans was killed and have not confirmed whether the fire at her home is connected to her death.
Even after they broke up a month earlier, friends and family say the two stayed in touch because Phillips told Evans he had cancer.
"She has a big heart and she fell for that," said Kyerra Brooks, who is Evans best friend. "He willed her back in, by him guilt-tripping her with the cancer."
Brooks said Evans had filed several police reports in the months before her death claiming Phillips was abusing her.
According to those reports, Phillips traveled from Missouri to Texas often and stole Evans' car and money, threatened her and her daughters, and broke into her home.
Additionally, Phillips had a long criminal record, and he had spent 10 years in prison at The Missouri Department of Corrections for shooting police officers. He was convicted on serious charges that included attempted assault on law enforcement and armed criminal action, and he was out on parole at the time of Evans' death.
Friends and family are grieving and want to know how Phillips was able to leave Missouri while on parole.
"I just want to know how does the state of Missouri allow this to happen?" Brooks said. "That's why I'm just angry. I'm mad because this is like, how could you allow him to do so many crimes over and over again?"
Those close to Evans remember her as a positive person. "I cannot say nothing bad about her," Brooks said. "She was a very friendly, happy person. She was a light in this world."
Another friend, Irica Jackson, hopes Evans' story helps others in abusive relationships. "Listen to those warning signs. Listen to when your loved ones are telling you and give you that warning," Jackson said.
CBS News Texas has asked Phillips' parole officer in St. Louis why he was allowed to leave the state while on parole but has not heard back.
Evans' two daughters were in school when the fire broke out at their home that morning and thankfully were not hurt but they lost a mother that day.
According to police reports, a man named Travis Allen Mitchell was arrested in Phoenix. Authorities say he is accused of helping Phillips in the killing of Delisha Evans, as per KSDK News.
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