Great Falls Police Investigate Homicide

On May 18th, at 5:57 PM, 911 dispatchers received a report of a female causing a disturbance at the Roberts Apartments located at 6 6th St S. Investigation of the incident revealed that a female, later identified as 31-year-old Kelsey Staigmiller, who was not a resident of the building, had been reportedly disturbing the peace of several residents there and had become locked out of the building as a result. When Staigmiller was unable to regain access to the building, she unlawfully entered a nearby vehicle being driven by a local business owner. An altercation between the vehicle owner and Staigmiller ensued. As the vehicle was driven away in a highly dangerous and erratic manner, the vehicle owner sustained significant injures that resulted in her death. The vehicle owner and victim has been identified by the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office as 50-year-old Great Falls resident Sarah Bailey. Very shortly after the initial altercation, Bailey was found deceased near the intersection of 5th St N and 1st Ave N. At this time, it does not appear as if Bailey and Staigmiller knew each other prior to the incident. Staigmiller fled Great Falls, in Bailey’s vehicle, and was located later in the evening by deputies from the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) near Bonner, Montana. Staigmiller was not initially cooperative with the MCSO deputies, who applied several less-lethal tools and techniques to bring her into custody. Staigmiller was booked into the Missoula County Detention Center with a $500,000 bond for Robbery (felony) and other related offenses. Potential additional charges for Staigmiller are pending the results of an autopsy and additional investigation. We extend our most sincere condolences to the friends and family of Sarah Bailey, as well as the others in the community who have been impacted by this senseless crime. We would also like to express our gratitude to the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office, the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, and our other public safety partners who assisted in this investigation. Anyone who believes that they may have information that could assist in this investigation is encouraged to Contact Detective Travis Burrow of the Great Fall Police Department at (406) 455-8505.