Missouri dismembered body identified as male, police checking missing person’s list as homicide case expands

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said it is investigating after Missouri Department of Conservation officers found male human remains Tuesday afternoon, announcing that the victim is a male.

Investigators are obtaining a DNA profile of the victim to help with identification. Sheriff Pelton said 27 men are listed on the state’s missing persons database.

Conservation officers made the discovery around noon at the Chouteau Claim access, near the confluence of the Meramec and Bourbeuse Rivers.

photo/Alan Cleaver

The dismembered body was in a burn pile about 15 feet into the woods. Deputies are investigating the incident as a homicide.

Sheriff Steve Pelton said it’s likely the victim was dismembered somewhere else, and the remains were brought near the river and set on fire, and could have been there for about two or three days.

“It looks like the remains were lit on fire,” said Pelton.

Officers searched the area with cadaver dogs and the Missouri Highway Patrol launched boats and searched the rivers for any evidence, but didn’t find anything else.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said there are no missing person reports in Franklin County, that is why the search has been expanded to missing males in Missouri.

The body was determined to be remains of a white male between 5-foot-8 and 6-foot-2 using a DNA profile.

This story will be updated when more information becomes available. Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at 636-583-2560.

KMOV talked to residents and reported: The gruesome crime has also shaken some area residents.

“It’s really scary because you don’t see that in this area,” said Joe DiClue, who lives along Highway AH.