Man charged in deaths of mother, daughter in Columbia

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Authorities are searching for a central Missouri man who is charged in the deaths of his girlfriend and the woman’s 11-year-old daughter. Prosecutors on Wednesday charged J.T. McLean of Fulton with two counts of first-degree murder. A news release from the Boone County Sheriff’s Department says authorities have been unable to find McLean, who works as an over-the-road truck driver. Deputies found the bodies of 43-year-old Allison Abitz and 11-year-old Jozee Abitz late Sunday at their home in Columbia. The sheriff’s department says that “probable cause was developed to believe that McLean murdered Allison and Jozee.”