St. Louis Major Case Squad Investigations

Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis
PRESS RELEASE

Date: 12/21/2019

Subject: *Major Case Squad Press Release****

On Friday, December 19, 2019 at approximately 23:02 hours, Bethalto Police Department received a request from Hazelwood, Missouri Police Department for a welfare check at a residence in the 300 block of Mill St., Bethalto, Illinois. Upon checking the residence, officers observed a deceased subject inside the residence. A subsequent check of the residence revealed that there were two additional deceased subjects inside the residence.

The victims are identified as 59 year old female Shari Yates of Bethalto, Yates’ 30 year old male son, Andrew Brooks and a 32 year old male, John McMillian. Yates and Brooks were residing at the address on Mill St., while McMillian was a resident of the Bethalto, Illinois area.

The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis has approximately 20 investigators that are still actively investigating this matter. On December 21, 2019 the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis presented the case to the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office for charges on the following subjects and the following charges were issued:

Brady Kane Witcher
M/W DOB: 11/24/1978
Birmingham, Alabama

  • Nine Counts of FIRST DEGREE MURDER (class M)
  • One Count of ARMED ROBBERY (class X)
  • One Count of AGGRAVATED VEHICULAR HIJACKING (class X)
  • One Count of UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF WEAPONS BY A FELON (class 2)

Brittany Nicole McMillan
F/W DOB: 11/19/1991
Birmingham, Alabama
Formerly of the Bethalto, Illinois area

  • Nine Counts of FIRST DEGREE MURDER (class M)
  • One Count of ARMED ROBBERY (class X)
  • One Count of AGGRAVATED VEHICULAR HIJACKING (class X)

The Honorable Judge Neil Schroeder has issued No Bond warrants on McMillan and Witcher. McMillan and Witcher are currently in custody at St. Louis County Detention Center, where they are awaiting extradition to Madison County.

Respectfully Submitted,
Lt. Brian Koberna
Deputy Commander
Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis

"Squad Membership is Regarded Not Only as a Honor, but as an Opportunity. It is Police Work at its Purest."

- St. Louis Post-Dispatch Sunday, March 7, 1982

MAJOR CASE SQUAD OF GREATER ST. LOUIS
1700 N Hwy 67
Florissant, Missouri 63031
(314) 831-7000
ST. LOUIS REGIONAL CRIMESTOPPERS
1-866-371-TIPS (8477)Visit Site
The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting multi-agency homicide investigations across the St. Louis region.
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