Семья и университет чтят память 26-летней кандидата в доктора наук Кеннеди Рид, погибшей в ДТП в Северной Сент-Луис

‘The perfect child’: Family remembers Wash U Ph.D. student killed in north St. Louis crash ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Family, friends, and the scientific community are mourning the tragic loss of 26-year-old Kennedy Reed, a Ph.D. candidate at the Washington University School of Medicine who was killed in a north St. Louis car crash earlier this month. While the investigation remains ongoing, those who loved her are working to ensure her passion for science, teaching, and mentorship lives on through a newly established memorial scholarship. A Brilliant Mind and “A Light” On the evening of August 4, St. Louis Metropolitan Police say a driver ran a stop sign at the intersection of North Euclid Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive, colliding with Reed’s vehicle. Reed died from her injuries. The other driver sustained minor injuries, and passengers from that vehicle were hospitalized, as previously reported by First Alert 4. Police confirmed that the investigation remains ongoing. Just last week, First Alert 4 cameras were at the police department August 20, as the owner of the BMW involved in the fatal crash voluntarily submitted a DNA sample to investigators. Her defense attorney, David Rosner, stated the sample was provided to clear his client’s name, asserting that while she was present at the scene as a passenger, she was not the person behind the wheel of the vehicle that struck Reed’s car. For those who knew Reed, her legacy is defined not by how she died, but how she lived. “She made a great impact over her 26 years of being here,” said her mother, Portia Reed Carter. “I never had a bit of trouble out of her growing up. Just the perfect child, perfect person in my eyes.” From Mississippi to St. Louis Originally from Mississippi, Reed’s passion for science brought her to St. Louis. She met her fiancé, Steven Alphin, while attending Alcorn State University, a historically Black University (HBCU) in Lorman, Mississippi, where Reed excelled in biochemistry. Reed was also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA). “How would you describe her? Brilliant, I mean. Literally, just brilliant,” Alphin told First Alert 4. “I mean, in all facets of everything that she did, every walk of life, every step as a daughter, as a significant other, as a friend, as an AKA, as a student, as a scientist.” Reed relocated to St. Louis to pursue her doctorate at Washington University, where she was in her fourth year studying Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis. Becoming “Dr. Kennedy Reed” The couple was in the process of planning their wedding and laying down permanent roots in St. Louis when the crash occurred. “Just, I mean, being around her for me, it just made you want to do more and do better, honestly,” Alphin said. “That’s the biggest thing that I really miss, honestly. Just being around her.” For Reed’s mother, the silence left behind is the hardest part of grieving her only child. “What will you miss most about Kennedy? Her smile,” Carter said. “We talked every day. Just her personality and coming home, coming back to Mississippi. But most of all, the calls every day.” Though her life was tragically cut short, Washington University is ensuring her academic dream is fulfilled. “She has been declared Dr. Kennedy Reed by Wash U officially,” Carter shared. “And we will be accepting her Ph.D. degree in May 2027 at the hooding ceremony.” Launching the Next Generation To carry on her passion for mentorship, Washington University has established the Kennedy Reed Memorial Summer Program Scholarship for undergraduate research. The fund will sponsor two undergraduate students from Alcorn State University to participate in Washington University’s prestigious summer research experience, creating an ongoing pipeline for aspiring young scientists from her beloved alma mater. “The biggest thing we want now is to keep Kennedy’s legacy alive,” Carter said. “It’ll live on through other people who will pass the torch,” Alphin added. “And it’ll continue to give at that point, so it’ll never die off.” How to Help The scholarship fund is accepting contributions. If you would like to donate in memory of Kennedy Reed to support future generations of young scientists, you can contribute directly through the Washington University Memorial Giving Portal. Copyright 2026 KMOV. All rights reserved.