Jeremy Perrien, 45, was arrested on Friday, Aug. 21, in connection with the June 2025 death of 31-year-old Shelby Kesler Perrien
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Jeremy Perrien.Credit : Scott County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
A fire chief and reserve deputy sheriff has been arrested and charged with murder more than a year after his wife was shot dead on a Missouri highway.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol arrested Jeremy Perrien, 45, at about 7:25 a.m. local time on Friday, Aug. 21, in connection with the death of 31-year-old Shelby Kesler Perrien on June 29, 2025, according to a MSHP news release.
Jeremy has been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree harassment, second-degree domestic assault and two counts of tampering with physical evidence.
According to FOX affiliate KBSI, Shelby’s death was first reported as a possible self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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Police found that she had been riding as a passenger in a vehicle being driven on Interstate 55 on June 29 when she sustained a gunshot wound to the head, per the outlet. At 3:43 a.m. local time, she was pronounced dead.
Jeremy initially told police that Shelby pulled a handgun from the center console and shot herself, and said their interactions before the shooting were not argumentative, KBSI reported. He later acknowledged there had been an argument shortly before his wife was shot.
Investigators found a video in a hidden folder on Shelby’s phone, dated May 19, 2025, which was alleged to show Jeremy striking, choking and repeatedly punching his wife, as well as grabbing her by the throat and threatening to kill her, per KBSI.
The Sikeston, Mo. resident also admitted deleting messages from both his and Shelby’s phones after the shooting, explaining he deleted them because they had been arguing and he felt the death was his fault, the outlet reported.
An older message from Jeremy that officers recovered from Shelby’s phone, dated April 20, 2025, allegedly stated, “You 100% will need a body bag if I stay with you. Each time my rage is worse.”
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The Scott County Sheriff’s Office also shared a statement, in which Sheriff Derick Wheetley explained that, due to Jeremy being a fire chief, a reserve deputy and an assistant coroner in the county, the investigation was handed over to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
“I personally knew both Shelby and Jeremy,” Wheetley said. “I worked alongside Jeremy at numerous fire scenes and calls for service. This has never been something I took lightly, and I wanted the truth just as much as Shelby’s family, friends, and this community did.”
“Today’s charges demonstrate exactly why we turned this investigation over from the beginning and why we remained patient and allowed independent agencies to follow the evidence wherever it led.”
Jeremy was taken to the Stoddard County Jail, where he is being held without bond, following his arrest, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
PEOPLE reached out to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and the Scott County Circuit Court for comment but did not immediately hear back.
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