An Illinois man was arrested after his girlfriend jumped out of his moving car to escape after hitting her, causing a cut on her forehead that exposed her skull.
Thomas A. Welch was charged with attempted murder, aggravated domestic battery and kidnapping.
An arrest affidavit obtained by Hook said Moultrie County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the scene around 1 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2025, after receiving a report that a woman — covered in blood — had run to a stranger’s home in Kirksville, Illinois, to seek help. The woman later told authorities she jumped out of a moving car to get away from Welch, 31.
The victim said she was in a car with Welch and her friend Cody Kimery in the Mattoon area when she and her boyfriend began arguing, according to the affidavit. She claimed Welch threatened to kill her and even stopped the car to hit her with an object, causing her to bleed.
The woman said she yelled at Welch, demanding to be let out of the vehicle. However, Welch continued to drive and Kimery, 33, allegedly refused to let her out and blocked her from leaving, according to the affidavit.
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Welch continued driving for about another hour before the victim claimed she jumped out of the car while it was going about 20 mph. After escaping, she ran to a neighbor’s house for help.
“I see this girl coming out of the mist, going out and walking in the mist”, neighbor Jérémie Marin informed WCIA of the incident. “And she was covered in blood from head to toe.”
The neighbor continued: “I asked her, ‘What’s wrong, what happened?’ She said she didn’t really remember anything and that she jumped out of a vehicle. I said, ‘Well, let me make you something hot.’ It scared everyone, you know, to see someone like that.
Seaman called 911 and waited with the victim until the cops arrived. The affidavit said she was then taken to the hospital, where she was given staples to close the head wound.
Authorities were later able to track down Welch. His vehicle had a dashcam inside, which allegedly captured Welch and Kimery, forcing the woman to stay in the vehicle as she begged to get out.
“I’m going to have to kill his brother,” Welch allegedly told Kimery in the dashcam footage.
A Wisconsin man has been arrested for allegedly fatally beating a female security guard on Christmas Day at a Minnesota hospital where he was a patient. Jonathan Chet Winch was charged with second-degree murder following the fatal incident. Winch, 35, was leaving the emergency department at M Health Fairview Lakes Hospital in Wyoming, Minnesota, […]
Welch was arrested on Sunday, January 4. He is currently being held without bail at the Moultrie County Jail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in this case on Friday, January 9.
Meanwhile, Kimery was charged Monday, January 5, with unlawful restraint. He is currently in custody in Coles County on charges of aggravated battery on a peace officer and possession of methamphetamine over 5 grams for an alleged incident that took place on Saturday, Jan. 3, according to online records viewed by Us every week.
It is not immediately clear whether Welch or Kimery have pleaded or retained legal representation.
The Moultrie County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us every weekrequest for comment.
