Murder charges filed after missing Mid-MO teen found dead

One man has been charged after missing teen, Macala Shelton, was found dead by an abandoned farm over the weekend near Iberia.

Steven Neal Henderson, 30, is facing counts of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for the murder of Shelton. Law enforcement says he is Shelton’s step-uncle.

His bond is set at $500,000 and he remains in the Miller County Jail.

A probable cause statement by the Missouri State Highway Patrol says Henderson acknowledged killing the girl with a large survival knife and told authorities where to find the weapon. Macala’s body was found in a wooded area on an unoccupied farm.

Court records list Henderson’s address in Iberia as the same one where Macala lived. No one answered a phone call Monday at a number listed at that address.

Earlier Sunday, the Miller County Sheriff’s Office canceled the endangered person advisory for Macala, saying simply that “the juvenile has been located.”

At the time, there were no details available about how she died or the circumstances surrounding her death.

Macala was reported missing Saturday morning. Her grandmother saw her go to bed around 11:45 p.m. Friday, but she was not there Saturday morning.

Separately, Jerry Lee Henderson, 33, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. His bond is set at $50,000.