Welcome Inn homicide victim identified

UPDATE 11/19, 8:30 p.m.: According to Tom O’Sullivan with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department, the homicide victim, Gregory Moore, was arrested at the beginning of October after he had failed to register as a sex offender for two years. He was also arrested on charges of intent to distribute drugs after deputies found meth, marijuana, a digital scale, and packing materials at his home. He was out on bond just a few days later. Moore was living at 110 Ripley Street.

Dispatch records ABC17 News searched through indicated Moore called 911 nine times to report incidents at that home. It was within 1,000 feet of a daycare and by law, sex offenders are not allowed to live any closer. Because he had not registered with the sheriff’s department, it was clear he had been living close to the day care for at least two years.

Deputies said without him registering himself, like the law indicates, they wouldn’t have been able to track him. Columbia police didn’t check his criminal history when they took three reports at this residence because they “have to have reasons” to check into that, according to Officer Latisha Stroer.

Moore had only been living at Welcome Inn for only a few weeks, according to sources.

UPDATE 11/19: Columbia Police have identified the victim as Gregory Moore, 54, of Columbia, in Thursday night’s homicide at the Welcome Inn.

UPDATE 11/18: Authorities have confirmed that the death at Welcome Inn on Thursday night was a homicide. The victim was found with a gunshot wound. ABC 17 News is working to find out more, and will continue to follow this story.

ORIGINAL STORY: Police were investigating a death at Welcome Inn in Columbia Thursday night.

According to police, officers were dispatched just after 6:30 p.m. for a cardiac arrest. When they arrived on scene, they found a man in his 40s dead inside a room.

Crime scene investigators were on scene working to determine if foul play was involved. Police said the man was found alone and it’s unclear at this time who made the 911 call.

As of 7:40 p.m., officers were working to get a search warrant to properly process the scene. Detectives were also interviewing people in the area to learn.

Police did confirm the man was a long-term resident of Welcome Inn.