On January 2, 1929 at 9:30 pm, Marshal Owen was seriously injured in a head-on collision, on Highway 36 two miles west of Hunnewell, while returning a recovered stolen vehicle. Marshal Owen died from his injuries 10:30 am the next morning at Furnish-Smith Hospital in Shelbina.

Marshal Owen was survived by his wife. Interred: Saint Jude Cemetery, Monroe City, MO.