Month: January 2024

Investigators with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office now say they have a suspect over six years after a man was found murdered outside his home near Seymour.

According to deputies, 34-year-old Lance Terrill was found in October of 2017 in the front yard of his house along Highway Z.

He died at the scene of two gunshot wounds that were fired into the trailer he and his two kids were inside. The children were uninjured.

The investigation was overseen by members of the Douglas, Webster, and Christian County Sheriff’s Offices.

The suspect, who has not been identified, was indicted on charges of:

• First-degree murder
• Armed Criminal Action
• Three counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon
• Two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child
• Concealing a Felony

While the suspect has been indicted, no formal charges have been filed at this time and no arrest has been made.

Thick black smoke can be seen from several locations around Springfield Wednesday afternoon.

KOLR-10 is reporting Springfield Police have confirmed multiple vehicles are on fire at Affordable Towing on Florida just west of Glenstone.

The smoke can be seen below from the traffic camera at Glenstone and Division.

The public is asked to avoid the area until crews can get the fire under control and emergency responders can do their work.

There’s no word on any injuries.

A man from Springfield already registered as a sex offender will now spend the next decade-plus in prison on child pornography charges.

Investigators say 41-year-old Anthony Thuro was discovered distributing child pornography on a platform called Kik that included images and videos of toddlers and young children being sexually abused.

When FBI agents searched his cell phone, they also found over 30 images of young children being assaulted.

He had previously been convicted of statutory sodomy in a case that involved two children, a 7-year-old and 13-year-old.

Thuro was sentenced this week to 17 years in prison without the possibility of parole, followed by 25 years of supervised release.

The Springfield Fire Department says one person has died in a house fire in the 2500 block of north East Avenue.

Firefighters arrived on the scene around 2:00 a.m. Tuesday, finding flames shooting out of the home and locating the victim inside during firefighting operations.

The department says lifesaving measures were performed on the victim once they were removed from the fire, but they died from their injuries.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined and is under investigation by the fire department.

The Greene County Medical Examiner is working with the investigating fire marshal and the Springfield Police Department to identify the victim and provide notification to family members.

Former U-S Senator Jean Carnahan has died at the age of 90 following a brief illness.

Carnahan was appointed to the Senate in 2001 after the posthumous election of her husband, Governor Mel Carnahan, who died in a plane crash in October of 2000.

Carnahan won the election over John Ashcroft, who went on to become U-S Attorney General.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade of Springfield calls Jean Carnahan “matriarch of the greatest political dynasty in modern Missouri history,” adding her “dedication to the people of Missouri was unsurpassed”

Carnahan died at a hospice in suburban St. Louis.

Officials with the Springfield-Greene County Park Board are temporarily closing parts of Sequiota Park after beavers did extensive damage to trees in the park.

The soft-surface trails, wooded area, nearby stream and the park east of the lake were closed today, and are marked as such.

Spokespeople for the park board say the beavers in the area did extensive damage or killed some 40 trees. Some of the damaged trees are still standing with large chunks missing, which is the cause of the danger for potential trail-seekers.

A timetable for when the trails and park will be reopened has not been released.

A man is in jail after an hours long standoff with Springfield police.

Officers responded to a shots fired call in the 2800 block of west Olive Monday night.

Police say a man fired a few shots at other people after a dispute, then barricaded himself inside a home.

Officers were able to arrest the man without incident after several hours.

No one was injured.

A woman from Springfield has been charged with second degree arson in connection with a fire that destroyed a home in February, 2023.

Alicia Smith is accused of setting the fire after an altercation with a resident of the home.

Smith told investigators the resident assaulted her and then started the fire, but later admitted she started it.

Smith does not yet have a court date set.