Gail Clayton and Husband Killed in Westfield, Illinois DUI Collision on October 24, 2025
On October 24, 2025, a fatal head-on collision occurred on West Lincoln Street near South Division Street in Westfield, Illinois, claiming the lives of 66-year-old Gail Clayton and her husband, 71-year-old Michael Clayton. According to a report from the Illinois State Police, the couple was traveling in a pickup truck when a conversion van crossed the center line and struck their vehicle head-on. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the van, identified as 34-year-old Edwin Pacheco Meza, was arrested and charged with reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated DUI, in addition to citations for illegal alcohol transportation and unlawful possession of cannabis. Two other occupants in the Claytons’ vehicle, residents of Charleston, were transported to a nearby hospital with injuries. The incident remains under active investigation by authorities.
