Trailgoers unfazed after human remains found at Rocky Fork Conservation area
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is still actively investigating after human remains were found at Rocky Forks Conservation Area this week.
Human remains were found Saturday at Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area in Boone County, according to a Thursday press release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. However, the exact location where the body was found has not been released.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office asked the MSHP Division of Drug and Crime Control to investigate the scene. The MSHP told ABC 17 News on Friday that it can’t release further details until the remains are positively identified.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office says it patrols the area regularly, along with conservation agents. However, since the discovery of the body, there have been no changes to the number of patrols.
Bodies and evidence from crime scenes popping up in the Rocky Fork Conservation area have occurred a number of times in recent years.
In January, a stolen maroon 2022 Jeep Compass was found burned in the Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area, which was believed to be involved in the homicide of 17-year-old Mason Sheets was found burned.
In July 2023, Missouri Missing conducted multiple searches for 41-year-old Daniel Lee Thompson, after his vehicle was found at the Rocky Fork Conservation Area. In March 2022, the remains of Angela Rice were found near the Rocky Fork Conservation Area more than three months after she was reported missing.
In August 2022, the Missouri State Highway Patrol identified the body of Michael Smith, who went missing while fishing with two friends. The other men made a run into town, and when they got back to the conservation area, Smith was gone.
Despite the frequency of incidents, trailgoers seemed unbothered. Garner Sutterfield has lived in the Columbia area for 25 years and said he makes weekly visits to Rocky Fork.
“I like it out here because compared to a lot of other area parks, it is more secluded, less frequently used, more open spaces," he said. "So, you can just kind of check out and have less interaction with other trail users, which sets it apart from some other areas in town that have a little more congestion.”
Boy Smallwood, an avid fisherman, added that the quietness of the area is one of the reasons it’s his favorite spot to fish.
“This is one of my favorite spots here. Depending on where the fish are biting, but they usually do pretty good out here,” Smallwood said. “It's just a nice, peaceful place for me to go. And there are a lot of trails and a lot of different lakes scattered out through the woods.”
However, the secludedness is one of the reasons that bodies and crime evidence have turned up near the lake in the past.
“There was somebody that died right there,” Sutterfield said while pointing to a nearby boat ramp. “I know of another body that's been recovered a few years ago. There's suicide crisis hotline signs at pretty much all the public recreation areas. It's not unique to Rocky Forks. Pretty much all the public use areas around here experience that. I'm familiar with a lot of the local area trails, and it doesn't deter me at all.”
