Mexico woman pleads guilty to child sex abuse
Stephanie Cottrell, 37, of Mexico pleaded guilty to eight felonies related to child sex abuse.
Continue ReadingStephanie Cottrell, 37, of Mexico pleaded guilty to eight felonies related to child sex abuse.
Continue ReadingLaw Enforcement agencies will continue to search the Lamine river on Friday for Mengqi Ji Elledge.
Continue ReadingA Boone County grand jury indicted Joseph Elledge Friday morning on one count of abuse or neglect of a child and two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
Continue ReadingCOOPER COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) – Law enforcement agencies are not giving up the search for a missing Columbia mother, Mengqi Ji Elledge. A search of the Lamine River in Cooper County stretched into its ninth day Friday as cold temperatures create an obstacle to divers. HAPPENING NOW: Day 9 in the Lamine River search for
Continue ReadingJefferson City police arrested a couple after allegedly finding animal waste on the floor of their apartment and a 1-year-old sleeping near a syringe filled with drugs.
Continue ReadingAuthorities were back at the De Bourgmont access on the Lamine River on Tuesday to search for a missing Columbia mother.
Continue ReadingJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Cole County prosecutors charged a couple with a felony count each linked to a Cole County Sheriff’s Department investigation into child abuse. Joseph Ciavarella, 52, and Loretta Wilhelm, 34, of Jefferson City were charged Saturday after court documents say deputies started their investigation on Jan. 1, 2018. Ciavarella faces a charge
Continue ReadingCOOPER COUNTY, Mo. Divers will resume their search of the Lamine River for a missing Columbia woman on Tuesday. Columbia Police Department spokesman Jeff Pitts said authorities were pausing their search for the weekend as the sun set Friday. Friday was the fifth day divers were at the De Bourgmont Lamine River Access. Crews also
Continue ReadingLawyers for a Columbia man accused of child abuse and suspected in his wife’s disappearance have asked for a change of judge.
Continue ReadingDivers continued their search of the Lamine River for a missing Columbia woman on Wednesday.
Continue ReadingFULTON, Mo. (KMIZ) Callaway County prosecutors charged a Fulton man with second-degree child molestation after he allegedly tried to rape a child who fought him off. Carl Martin, 38, was arrested Tuesday by Callaway County sheriff’s deputies. He’s accused of trying to have sex with a child younger than 12 years old. Court documents say
Continue ReadingCOLUMBIA, Mo, A Columbia man accused of child abuse pleaded not guilty to two felony charges in court on Tuesday morning. Joseph Elledge, 24, pleaded not guilty to child abuse or neglect and endangering the welfare of a child after he waived his preliminary hearing, said Boone County Prosecutor Dan Knight. The case is now
Continue ReadingA Boonville child molestation suspect is back in the Cooper County Jail after allegedly violating the conditions of his bond by leaving home six times in a week, including multiple trips to Walmart and one to Columbia.
Continue ReadingMOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Moberly man was arrested over the weekend after police were notified of a child abuse case that sent a 10-month-old girl to the hospital. Police were originally notified of the case around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday after the child had to be flown by helicopter from Moberly Regional Medical Center to
Continue ReadingCOLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Prosecutors have added a second child abuse-related count against the husband of a missing Columbia woman. The Boone County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on Monday filed an amended complaint against Joseph Elledge, who had been charged with one count of child abuse last month. The revised complaint also accuses Elledge of one count
Continue ReadingJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A state appellate court upheld a man’s conviction Tuesday, but sent his case back to a lower court. Robert Taylor was sentenced in 2018 to 30 years in prison by Cole County Circuit Court judge Patricia Joyce. A jury found Taylor guilty of three charges for sexually assaulting a child, enticement
Continue ReadingCOLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The husband of a Columbia missing woman was denied a bond reduction on Tuesday after last week’s hearing in his child abuse case. Joseph Elledge’s bond was set at $500,000. According to a Boone County Judge’s order, if Elledge posts his bond, he will not be allowed to have contact with any
Continue ReadingFriends and family of a missing Columbia woman gathered for a vigil Saturday, one month after she was reported missing by her husband, who is now the prime suspect in her disappearance. Mengqi Ji Elledge, 28, went missing Oct. 8. Her husband, Joseph Elledge reported her missing a day and a half after she allegedly
Continue ReadingCOLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The attorney for the parents of a missing Columbia woman said Thursday they have reached a “very limited, short term agreement” in the custody battle over their grandchild. Mengqi Elledge’s and the family of her husband, Joseph Elledge, are each trying to get custody of the couple’s daughter. A set of hearings
Continue ReadingCOLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County’s lead prosecutor said in court Wednesday that the husband of a missing woman is the prime suspect in her disappearance, accusing him of killing her. Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Knight said at a bond reduction hearing that investigators suspect Joseph Elledge in the October disappearance of his wife, Mengqi
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