An Illinois man, aged 38, has been apprehended and charged with the murder of his 72-year-old mother.
According to the O’Fallon Police Department, officers conducted a welfare check on Terrie “Tracy” Nguyen around 1:30 p.m. this past Saturday and discovered her deceased in her residence located in a suburb of St. Louis.
Authorities quickly identified her son, David Nguyen, as a suspect. Later that day, Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers noticed him driving west on Interstate 70 near Concordia, Missouri. Nguyen attempted to evade capture, prompting the troopers to deploy several stop sticks.
After leaving the highway and running into a wooded area, Nguyen was ultimately apprehended.
Following his arrest, he was taken to a hospital for medical attention and then transferred to the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office.
By Wednesday, the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office in Illinois had filed charges against Nguyen for murder and concealing a homicidal death. He is currently held in a Missouri jail, awaiting extradition to Illinois.
According to the Belleville News-Democrat, Nguyen hit his mother in the face and then put plastic wrap over her nose and mouth. Prosecutors said that he turned on the gas in the home “and left a lit candle inside the house with the intent to cause an explosion.”
Investigators have not revealed a motive and are as yet unsure about how the victim died.
