KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man reported missing last Friday in Cass County has been found dead in Lafayette County.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday that the body of 25-year-old Tyler M. Gooding, of Pleasant Hill, was found Monday in Lafayette County, which is located to the northeast.
Detectives with Cass, Lafayette and Ray counties are investigating Gooding’s death as a homicide.
When law enforcement investigators tried to make contact with a person of interest in the case in Lafayette County on Monday, the unidentified suspect fled, leading a vehicle pursuit that ended southeast of Excelsior Springs in rural Ray County.
The suspect bailed from the vehicle in a wooded area and led investigators on a five-mile pursuit before being apprehended.
A body, which has been identified as Gooding, was found near the truck.
“While not the outcome we had hoped for when searching for a missing person, the collective efforts of multiple sheriff offices lead to the identification and arrest of a suspect,” said Sheriff Jeff Weber.
The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office is leading the homicide investigation and the suspect remains jailed at the Lafayette County Jail in Lexington, Missouri.
In addition to deputies from Cass, Lafayette and Ray counties, personnel with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the ATF and the Missouri Department of Conservation assisted in capturing the homicide suspect along with the Kansas City, Missouri, and Richmond police departments.
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For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the 41 Action News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the 41 Action News Mug Shot Policy.
