Mom was booked into Douglas County Jail in fiery downtown crash that killed four people

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – The mother who authorities say was driving drunk at a high rate of speed when her vehicle collided with another, leaving four dead, including her own children, was booked into the Douglas Jail Thursday County assigned.

Omaha police said in a news release that the OPD Fugitive Unit brought 33-year-old Rachel Bickerstaff from Kansas back to Omaha, where she was treated for burn injuries she sustained in the accident on Sept. 27 just before 1 p.m :30 p.m. had closed.

Bickerstaff is charged with motor vehicle homicide. While she was in the hospital, an arrest warrant was issued for her.

Her 18-month-old child was also taken to a burn unit in Kansas City for injuries sustained in the accident, but ultimately died a few days later. Emergency room personnel who treated the child said the injuries “could only be described as 'violent,'” according to court documents filed earlier this month.

The fiery crash also killed two of her young daughters – one of whom was a newborn – and the driver of the other vehicle, 70-year-old Michael Sales of Council Bluffs, at the scene. The salesman was on his way home from his part-time job at FedEx when the accident caused both vehicles to burst into flames.

Court documents filed earlier this month say Bickerstaff was driving about 105-116 mph and had a BAC of 0.216 – nearly three times the legal limit – when she crashed into Sales' Subaru, killing him and her 11-day-old child 5 year old daughters.

Bickerstaff's passenger, who is also the father of the three deceased girls, also survived the accident with injuries.

Court records also show that Bickerstaff had previously been convicted of driving under the influence in early 2020 and had pleaded no contest to driving under the influence and reckless driving. She lost her driver's license for 60 days and needed an interlock device. She served six months of probation and was ordered to pay fines totaling less than $800.

6 News also discovered that Bickerstaff has four other children – now believed to be between the ages of 8 and 11 – who were taken into state care several years ago. Juvenile court records indicate Partida is the father of one of them.

Documents show the state had concerns about the children's safety and welfare, alleging that Bickerstaff had missed her drug tests – she had used methamphetamine in the past, the documents say – and had not followed the medical plan when it came to a son with leukemia. In 2019, the parents finally waived their rights and the children were put up for adoption.

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Reporter Brian Mastre contributed to this report.

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