LADDONIA, MO. -- Update: Thursday, Dec. 24 at 10:43 p.m.
Court documents show Chester Harvey admitted to murdering a man he picked up in California.
He told an informant he murdered the man and was trying to figure out what to do with the body.
Harvey told the informant he put the body in the back of a tractor trailer.
After the body was found, Harvey barricaded himself in his Laddonia home, where he kept family members hostage, including his 9-year-old, for 20 hours.
Harvey's teenage son is also charged in connection with the crime.
The prosecutor filed charges against 19-year-old Chad Harvey for abandoning a corpse.
The body was found Tuesday.
Chad Harvey lives in Pike County in northern Missouri.
Both he and his father are behind bars.
UPDATE: Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 9:00 p.m.
First it was the father, now his teenage son is charged in connection with the investigation of a man found dead in a tractor-trailer rig in Audrain County.
The prosecutor has filed charges against 19-year-old Chad Michael Harvey for the abandonment of a corpse.
The body was found Tuesday inside the refrigerated compartment of his father's truck, which was parked near Vandalia.
Chad Harvey lives in Pike county in northern Missouri. He's being held in the Audrain Count jail without bond.
His father is also behind bars.
Chester Clay Harvey is also charged with abandonment of a corpse, and with kidnapping for holding other family members hostage overnight before surrendering to police this morning.
The people of Laddonia were stunned by the episode, but neighbor Carla Rybicki describes the family as normal, saying they lived in Laddonia for about two years.
But online court records show in that time Chester Harvey, who was an over the road trucker, had numerous financial problems.
First a $20,000 judgment against him for breaking a contract with Peterbilt trucks, then three less sizable cases brought by creditors.
Son, Chad Harvey was facing a pending charge for passing bad checks.
Police still aren't saying much about the victim other than it was a man and the autopsy may have to wait until Saturday because of the holiday.
Updated: Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 5 p.m.
A 20 hour standoff ended peacefully after the suspect released family and then surrendered to Audrain County Police and Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Chester Clay Harvey Jr., 38, refused to come out of his Laddonia home when police identified him as a person of interest after a body was found in the refrigerated compartment of the tractor trailer he owned.
"Four, five o'clock in the morning, [Tuesday] morning, and the trailer was located by deputies in Vandalia, Mo,” Audrain County Sheriff Stuart Miller said. “A search warrant was obtained and the Highway Patrol helped us execute the search warrant, the Division of Drug and Crime Control, and a body was found inside the trailer."
The trailer was found in a parking lot across Highway 54 from the old Casey’s Store on the east edge of Vandalia along the highway.
Highway Patrol Officials said Harvey and his family knew the male victim, but would not elaborate on their relationship.
The standoff started Tuesday afternoon.
As the police had the Young Street home under surveillance before the Missouri State Highway Patrol S.W.A.T team arrived, Harvey’s 16-year-old son drove off. Police stopped and took the son into custody.
Harvey’s 7-year-old son was not at the home during the standoff, but was at a relative's house. Harvey’s wife, 9-year-old son, who is terminally ill and 14-year-old son were being held inside of home.
“The Harvey family is your typical every day family,” neighbor Carla Rybicki said. “Mom stays home to take care of one of the kids who has a terminal illness. The other three kids go to school with my kids. Dad is an over the road truck driver."
Highway Patrol S.W.A.T. was negotiating with Harvey during the standoff trying to coax him into releasing the family members.
Around 2 a.m. Wednesday, Harvey released his 9-year-old son.
A Highway Patrol said that Harvey has not been violent inside the home, but believed he had a weapon. Police didn’t believe Harvey was a threat to the community, but had the area around the home blocked off.
Police said that Harvey and his family knew the person found dead in the back of a tractor trailer in Vandalia. Harvey told negotiators he wanted a "thorough investigation so the truth can come out."
Around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Harvey released his wife Angela "Angie" Dawn, 34. The Highway Patrol S.W.A.T. team switched shifts around the same time and continued to negotiate the release of Harvey’s 14-year-old son.
Around 9:30 a.m., Harvey released his 14 year-old son and surrendered himself to officers.
"We see the paddy wagon type vehicle pull up, we see the Humvee vehicle move up, a whole bunch of SWAT team guys show up, then walking backwards out of the house very quietly is the second oldest teenager and the father, walking backwards, hands on the head, very quiet, very calm, very organized," Rybicki said.
Harvey is charged with abandoning a corpse, which means authorities believe Harvey knew about the dead body. Harvey also faces a charge of kidnapping for holding his family members hostage, specifically his nine year old son.
Harvey is being held without bond in the Audrain County Jail.
Authorities said the autopsy of the male victim has not been performed yet. It could be Saturday before it’s completed given the upcoming holiday.
