She was ‘a ray of sunshine’: Thoughts go out to Park Hill senior killed in crash
A one of a kind, dedicated student who was a ray of sunshine.
This is how friends and family described 18-year-old Park Hill High School senior Tessa Walker, who was killed in a fiery crash in rural Platte County early Sunday morning.
In an email sent to families on Tuesday afternoon, the Park Hill School District identified Walker as the woman killed in the crash that left four other teenagers injured.
“Tessa was special to so many at Park Hill High School; her passing leaves a hole in countless hearts,” Lindsey Hood, a teacher and volleyball coach at the high school, said in the email.
The Platte County Sheriff’s Office responded to Missouri Highway 45 near North Main Street in Farley, Missouri, just before 4:30 a.m. Sunday on reports of a vehicle crash, according to Capt. Jeffrey Shanks, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.
Investigators learned a 2024 BMW M4 was traveling south on the highway when it left the roadway, Shanks said. It came to a rest before it caught on fire.
The driver, an 18-year-old man from Riverside, and three other teenagers received “minor to severe injuries,” Shanks said.
Walker, the fourth passenger, died at the scene, Shanks said.
In an email to The Star on Thursday, Shanks said he “did not have any additional information to release,” citing an ongoing investigation into the crash.
‘Dedicated student’ planned to attend Missouri college
A senior at Park Hill High School, Walker was a “dedicated student and a talented athlete, active in volleyball, girls’ flag football and track,” the email said.
She was a member of the school’s AVID college readiness program, which prepares students in “the academic middle” for “college eligibility and success,” according to the school’s website.
Walker’s work in the program earned her several honors and academic scholarships, including scholarships from Northwest Missouri State University, where she planned to attend in the fall, the email said.
She also worked with the Midwest Innocence Project, an organization that works to exonerate those wrongfully convicted of crimes in the region, through the school’s professional studies program.
Walker’s LinkedIn page said she started as a law intern at the organization in January.
‘A heart that will never be forgotten’
Tributes have poured in for Walker across social media following her death.
Instagram account “phbarstool,” which mimics the likeness of Barstool Sports, described Walker in a post Monday as “truly one of a kind, so sweet, so courageous and so driven in everything she did.”
“She had a light that could comfort people, a strength that inspired everyone, and a heart that will never be forgotten,” the post said.
The post, which signed off as Walker’s “Trojan Family,” said Walker would be remembered as seniors walk across the graduation stage later this spring.
“We’ll be cheering a little louder, and we’ll scream your name so it echoes for you to hear up in heaven,” the post said.
The Park Hill volleyball team said in an Instagram story on Tuesday that students will sign Walker’s volleyball jersey later this week.
On Walker’s obituary page, posters recalled her impact on their lives.
“Tessa was such a ray of sunshine and made an impact of everyone she met. Words can’t express how much we feel for and will pray for your peace and healing. Sending you our love,” Zoe and Sam Masaengale said on the page.
A memorial service for Walker will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 30, at Vineyard Church, located at 12300 Northwest Arrowhead Traffcway.
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 5:57 PM.
