CALLAWAY COUNTY, MO -- Update: Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 6:40 p.m.:
The Callaway County sheriff says his people are running out of leads in the investigation of a recent homicide.
Sheriff Dennis Crane said all the leads in the Millersburg and Auxvasse deaths have come from officers or family members, and officials have received no tips from the public.
Multiple agencies are following about 35 leads in the death of Deborah Bates. The man she lived with found her dead in their home near Millersburg last Thursday. An autopsy found her death was suspicious.
Sheriff Crane said officers are reaching the end of their leads in the case, and it’s likely the Mid-Missouri Major Case Squad will end their help Tuesday night.
The Callaway County Sheriff’s Department originally called on the Major Case Squad for assistance because it already was working a double homicide in Auxvasse.
Law enforcement officials are following more than 200 leads in the deaths of Mike and Amanda Wieberg.
They were found dead in a burned-down house in Auxvasse earlier this month. An autopsy determined they died before the fire.
Sheriff Crane is calling on anyone who may have any information, no matter how big or small, to call the sheriff’s department at (573) 642-7291 or CrimeStoppers at (573) 592-2474.
Update: Friday, Sept. 9 at 7:00 p.m.:
The woman found dead in Callaway County has been identified as Deborah A. Bates, 54.
Sheriff Crane said an autopsy performed at MU led them to rule her death a homicide.
“We’re ruling it as a death at someone else’s hand,” Sheriff Crane said.
Bates was found unresponsive in her home at 6:44 p.m. Thursday. Bates lived in the 1600 block of County Road 340, which in the Millersburg area close to the Boone/Callaway County line. It’s also close to the Breezy Oaks subdivision.
Investigators believe Bates died sometime after 6 a.m. that same day.
“We think this occurred during the daylight hours,” Crane explained.
With that in mind, the sheriff wants anyone who was in the area and might have seen something to call the Callaway County CrimeStoppers at (573) 592-2474.
Crane said investigators are interviewing people who knew Bates, including a man who lived with her.
“He has spoken with us,” Crane said. “They’re not married, but they lived together since 2005. He has cooperated up ‘til now and we’re still going on from that point.”
Crane did not call the man a suspect. He also said there are no suspects at this time.
“We’ve got people of interest. I won’t say suspects,” Crane said.
These people of interest can include names provided by people who knew Bates or anyone who might have had negative contact with her in the past.
“But that doesn’t necessarily make them a suspect,” Crane further explained.
This is the second homicide case for Callaway County in a week.
Last Friday, Mike Wieberg and his daughter Amanda were found dead not too far away in a burned-down Auxvasse house. However, the sheriff said all signs are pointing to the two incidents not being connected.
“We’re looking at these as two separate occasions,” Crane said. “We don’t believe they are connected. There’s reasons that we think that that we can’t discuss. We have no names that connects them together and other things at the scenes does not connect them.”
With three deaths in a seven-day span, Sheriff Crane did say it was a concern for his department, but he doesn’t want to strike fear in the mid-Missouri community.
“I don’t want to alarm people to the degree that they’re scared to death that we’ve got a mass killer that’s going around. I don’t think that’s the case,” Crane explained.
However, the sheriff does want people to continue to be aware of their surroundings.
Original Story:
The Callaway County Sheriff’s Department has confirmed it’s investigating another homicide.
Sheriff Dennis Crane said they’re not releasing information on who was found dead or where at this time while deputies try to contact next of kin.
Crane said he believes the homicide happened Thursday.
The Mid-Missouri Major Case Squad has been activated to help investigate the death.
This is Callaway County’s second homicide investigation in a week.
Last Friday, Mike Wieberg and his daughter, Amanda, were found dead in a burned-down Auxvasse house.
An autopsy found the Wiebergs died before the fire.
“At this point we do not believe they are related,” Sheriff Crane said Friday.
This is a developing story. Stay with KRCG online and on air for the latest information.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKRCG