CPD: More digging needed at landfill in 2006 murder case
Columbia police said Wednesday that an exploratory dig at the city landfill yielded some clues to help investigators in their investigation of an alleged 2006 murder, but more work is needed.
The Columbia Police Department began searching a 14-acre section of the landfill Monday in an effort to pinpoint where trash was being buried when Megan Shutlz went missing in 2006.
In August, Shultz’s ex-husband, Keith Comfort, allegedly admitted to police that he strangled her to death then put her body in a dumpster in August 2006. Comfort, who was in Wisconsin when he reportedly made the admission, is charged with second-degree murder and is awaiting trial in Boone County.
Shultz is still listed as missing on the Columbia city and state highway patrol websites.
Police started evaluating whether to search the landfill for Shultz’s remains after Comfort’s alleged confession.
CPD Sept. 6 news conference on landfill dig
CPD spokesman Jeff Pitts said in a news release Wednesday that police found some items with dates close to when Shultz went missing, but more work is needed.
“There is a need for additional exploration in the 14-acre area for any clues that will help us to more accurately define the correct area or areas which may warrant further investigation,” Assistant Police Chief Jeremiah Hunter said in the news release. “We are very thankful for not only the assistance that we have been receiving from the staff of the Solid Waste Utility but the incredible support from Megan’s family.”
The FAA had granted CPD a request to restrict air traffic over the area during the dig and reporters were barred from entering the landfill.
Pitts said police would release no other details about the dig. CPD will provide an update about the case Friday afternoon, he said.
