Patrol: Gasconade man and child died in apparent murder-suicide
Autopsies show a man and boy whose bodies were found last week in Gasconade County died in an apparent murder-suicide.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a news release Monday that Monty Jason Barton, 37, died of a self-inflected gunshot wound to the head and 4-year-old Bentlee Turner died of a gunshot wound to the head “consistent with homicide.”
Authorities found the bodies of Turner and Barton last week near Valentine Ford Road, west of Route A, in Gasconade County. The discovery happened after the patrol was sent to a call about a missing child in Belle. Both Barton and Turner were from Belle. The patrol called Barton a “family friend” when identifying him last week.
The patrol said the investigation into the circumstances leading up to their deaths is under investigation.
