KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office will assist authorities from Lafayette County, Missouri, in trying to identify and determine the cause of death for a body discovered Aug. 6, 2018, in a trunk.
Fire department personnel and deputies were dispatched Monday to an area near Interstate 70 and McDaniel Road in Bates City, Missouri, on a report of suspicious activity.
The initial call indicated smoke was visible and it was a possible vehicle fire.
After the fire was extinguished, a body was discovered in inside the vehicle’s trunk.
The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office also is working with the Missouri State Fire Marshall’s Office and Lafayette County Coroner’s Office in addition to officials in Jackson County to ID the victim and identify who was responsible for transporting the vehicle to Lafayette County and setting it on fire.
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to call the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office at 660-259-3622 or call the office’s anonymous tips hotline at 660-259-6789.