Columbia police plan exploratory dig at landfill
Columbia police will perform an exploratory search of the city landfill in the case of a Columbia woman missing since 2006.
Columbia Police Department Assistant Chief Jeremiah Hunter said at a news conference Friday that investigators will try to determine the area of the landfill where trash was being dumped in August 2006 in their investigation into whether Megan Shultz was murdered. Solid Waste Utility leaders and investigators worked to zero in on a 14-acre area where trash was possibly being dumped at that time, and the exploration will focus on a 3 to 4 acre section of that area.
The depth of the area ranges from 10 to 50 feet, officials said.
PLAYBACK of a live stream of the news conference is available in the player below
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. The report says she was “last seen leaving her residence in Columbia, MO on foot.”
Following the alleged admission, Columbia police began evaluating whether to search the city landfill for evidence of Shultz’s remains. A spokesperson with Columbia utilities told ABC 17 News that searching the landfill for something more than a decade after it was disposed would be difficult.
Hunter said the FAA is blocking flights over the landfill during the dig and police are asking reporters to stay away from the landfill. David Sorrell, assistant director of city utilities, said the digging will likely release gases hazardous to human health and will expose sharp objects.
The exploratory dig will focus on finding dates on items in the landfill to determine where trash was being dumped the week Shultz went missing, Sorrell said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been corrected to say Comfort allegedly confessed to the killing in August.
