Current:Home > FinanceMissouri woman's 1989 cold case murder solved after person comes forward with "rock-solid" tip; 3 men arrested-InfoLens
Missouri woman's 1989 cold case murder solved after person comes forward with "rock-solid" tip; 3 men arrested
View Date:2024-12-23 11:52:40
Authorities in Missouri say a 35-year cold case killing has been solved, thanks to someone who came forward with information about the crime.
Douglas County authorities announced Wednesday that three men have been arrested and indicted on first-degree murder, forcible rape and first-degree kidnapping charges in the 1989 killing of 24-year-old Kelle Ann Workman. Court records show that the men do not yet have listed attorneys. All three are jailed on $250,000 cash-only bond.
The three suspects were identified as Bobby Banks, Leonard Banks and Wiley Belt, who are all in their 60s, CBS affiliate KOLR-TV reported.
Workman was last seen cutting the grass at a rural cemetery in southwestern Missouri on June 30, 1989. Her body was found submerged in a creek more than 10 miles away a week later.
"I think we're able to give Kelle some justice and hopefully give the family some closure, knowing that these guys are not here running around and simply getting away with it," Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase said at a news conference.
Douglas County Prosecuting Attorney Matthew Weatherman said the information from the person who came forward is "rock-solid."
"There was a person that came forward after almost 30 years of holding this inside that came forward and finally told us the last piece we needed to slide it all together," Weatherman said.
Asked if he was confident in the case, Weatherman said, "It's as good as a 1989 case can ever be."
Workman was last seen at the Dogwood Cemetery near a Baptist church in a rural area of Douglas County. Several people joined police in searching for her. Her body was found on July 7, 1989, in a creek near Oldfield, Missouri.
Shana Beebe, Workman's first cousin, told KOLR-TV that she can still remember the investigation when it began.
"I was a teenager at the time, and from what my initial memories were was Kelle's mother came into our home to get my father to let us know that Kelle was missing. She was in a panic. It was very emotional. That's kind of where the fear set in, because this wasn't Kelle's normal behavior at that point," Beebe told the station. "We remember sitting around as like family in a group in and out for like search parties. It was lasted over a period of days. When she was finally discovered, it was a relief, but it was also heartbreaking. Two of our uncles actually were present when they found her body. Very emotional for them. To this day, they really can't talk about it. They have a hard time with it."
- In:
- Missouri
- Cold Case
veryGood! (17)
Related
- Where you retire could affect your tax bill. Here's how.
- Troye Sivan harnesses ‘levity and fun’ to fuel third full album, ‘Something to Give Each Other’
- Troye Sivan harnesses ‘levity and fun’ to fuel third full album, ‘Something to Give Each Other’
- How Birkenstock went from ugly hippie sandal to billion-dollar brand
- Sister Wives’ Meri Brown Shares Hysterical Farmers Only Dating Profile Video After Kody Split
- Republicans tweak Brewers stadium repair plan to cut the total public contribution by $54 million
- The family of a 24-year-old killed by Hamas at the Supernova music festival asked for 10 strangers to attend her funeral. Thousands showed up.
- Taylor Swift Is Cheer Captain at Travis Kelce's Kansas City Chiefs Game
- Oregon's Dan Lanning, Indiana's Curt Cignetti pocket big bonuses after Week 11 wins
- Officer shooting in Minnesota: 5 officers suffered gunshot wounds; suspect arrested
Ranking
- Queen Elizabeth II's Final 5-Word Diary Entry Revealed
- 17 Florida sheriff’s deputies accused of stealing about $500,000 in pandemic relief funds
- Nearly 500,000 Little Sleepies baby bibs and blankets recalled due to potential choking hazard
- Why do people get ink on Friday the 13th? How the day became lucky for the tattoo industry
- Subway rider who helped restrain man in NYC chokehold death says he wanted ex-Marine to ‘let go’
- Arkansas lawmakers OK plan to audit purchase of $19,000 lectern for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders
- How Travis Barker’s Daughter Alabama Barker Gets Her Lip Filler to Look Natural
- AP Week in Pictures: Latin America and Caribbean
Recommendation
-
Judge hears case over Montana rule blocking trans residents from changing sex on birth certificate
-
Prosecutor removed from YNW Melly murder trial after defense accusations of withholding information
-
Horoscopes Today, October 12, 2023
-
Taking the temperature of the US consumer
-
Gerry Faust, the former head football coach at Notre Dame, has died at 89
-
Attorney general investigates fatal police shooting of former elite fencer at his New York home
-
Israel’s military orders civilians to evacuate Gaza City, ahead of a feared ground offensive
-
Colombian serial killer who confessed to murdering more than 190 children dies in hospital