Court documents reveal a gruesome chain of events in the July 5, 2022 murder of a Kirksville, Missouri man.
On July 10, multiple law enforcement agencies discovered human remains belonging to 54-year-old Stephen Munn.
On Friday, 38-year-old Jesse Darrell Rongey was charged with six crimes related to Munn’s death, including first-degree murder.
Investigators say in court records that Rongey killed Munn late in the morning of July 5 by shooting him with a shotgun at a property on Youngstown Trail.
Munn owns the land, but he did not live there. Authorities say that Rongey was staying in a shed on the property. Two eyewitnesses said the shooting took place near the shed.
Law enforcement officers say after Rongey shot Munn, the suspect dismembered the body with a reciprocating saw and a hand saw and then burned the body parts on a burn pile.
Munn’s identity was determined using DNA testing. During the autopsy, court records state that medical examiners located pellets like those found in shotgun shells.
Rongey was charged Friday with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, abandonment of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution.
An arrest warrant for Rongey was issued on Friday. He remains on the run. The Adair County Sheriff’s Office said he may have altered his appearance by shaving his head and beard.
Authorities say Rongey is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.
If you know anything about his location, you are asked to call the Adair County Sheriff’s Office at 660-665-4644 or your local law enforcement office.
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