Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper James Bava was killed in a single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Highway FF and County Road 977, in Audrain County, shortly before 8:30 am.
He was pursuing a speeding motorcycle when his patrol car crashed.
The driver of the motorcycle was arrested on November 23rd, 2015, following a three-month-long investigation. The man was charged with second-degree murder, resisting a lawful stop, resisting arrest by a state trooper, careless driving, excessive speeding, and failure to register a vehicle.
In March 2018, the subject Trooper Bava was pursuing was acquitted of manslaughter.
Trooper Bava had served with the Missouri State Highway Patrol for two years and was assigned to Troop F.
Survivors
He is survived by his parents, two brothers, three sisters, and fiancée.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-18DD1B47- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper Bava gave the Missouri State Highway Patrol 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Missouri. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Bava.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper James Matthew Bava is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MO, 237 of 813 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this state's fallen. That is 1.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Missouri State Highway Patrol, 18 of 33 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 54.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Matthew Bava's cause is highlighted.
How James Matthew Bava Compares
Offender Outcome
Acquitted of manslaughter
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Matthew Bava is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
32 officers from Missouri State Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
