Author: Robert Townsend
St. Louis County man's daughter makes plea to community to help solve her dad's 2021 homicide on highway
"If you can remember anything that day please, please, please call MSHP," said Julie Aldridge.
www.ksdk.com
''ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — At 80 years old, Tom Aldridge Sr. still had a passion for working in a West End neighborhood in St. Louis.
"He was a businessman to the bone. He loved to see his neighbors. He loved his community. He knew everyone on the street," said Julie Aldridge, Tom's daughter.
Aldridge ran Coolaire Heating and Cooling Company on Hodiamont Avenue for 40 years.
His daughter said on September 3, 2021, he may have been driving back to his business or to his St. Louis County home when the unthinkable happened.
"It's been really hard," said Julie.
Tom drove south on Interstate 170 with his driver's side window down when a bullet hit him in his neck.
Investigators say the wounded driver pulled over to the shoulder near Natural Bridge Road in north St. Louis County.
"My dad sat on the highway for many hours with people passing him and he passed away in his car still running," said Julie.
Julie lives in Seattle.
"I really miss my dad's sense of adventure and I miss his presence. We just want to know what happened to our dad. It's been almost a year and a half and we have no answers," Aldridge said.
Aldridge was in his 2017 Black Jeep Patriot that day.
It had Montana license plates 7-15444D.
Aldridge also owned businesses in Montana.
Investigators with Missouri State Highway Patrol say right now they do not know if Aldridge and another driver had a possible argument on the interstate before Aldridge was killed.
Moreover, troopers don't have any possible leads in the cold case.''