Mo. suspect in child’s death charged with murder UPDATE

SEDALIA, Mo. (AP) — A 27-year-old Missouri man was being held on $1 million bond in connection with the slaying of a 6-year-old boy.

Online court records show Scottie Alan Willet of Columbia was charged Thursday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the child’s death. The Fulton Sun reports Willet was taken into custody Thursday morning in a Sedalia trailer park after an overnight manhunt.

Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Paul Reinsch told the newspaper the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office called the patrol at 3:15 a.m. asking to use its helicopter to search for a suspect near Millersburg.

The Sedalia Democrat reports Willet was located through a cell phone ping, and a handgun was found in his vehicle.

Authorities have scheduled a news conference for later Thursday afternoon.

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SEDALIA, Mo. (AP) — A 27-year-old man is in custody as a person of interest for the death of a 6-year-old central Missouri boy.

The Fulton Sun reports the man was taken into custody Thursday morning in a Sedalia trailer park on a Pettis County warrant for littering.

The Sedalia Democrat reports the suspect was located through a cell phone ping, and a handgun was found in his vehicle.

Authorities haven’t released any details about the relationship between the man and the boy or the circumstances of the child’s death.