Man accused of 2021 murder in California arrested in Columbia, was working at University Hospital

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was accused of a 2021 murder in the state of California was arrested and charged in Boone County.

Tyler Scott Graeber, 36, was charged in Boone County on Tuesday with being a fugitive from out of state. He was booked into the Boone County Jail at 6:41 p.m. Monday and is being held without bond. A court appearance was set for Tuesday afternoon. Jail records state Graeber's address is listed in Columbia, while court records do not give an address.,

Court records show an arrest warrant from Modoc County was issued for Graeber on Jan. 8. No bail was set for Graeber's California warrant.

According to an email from an MU Health Care spokesman, Graeber had been working at University Hospital for the past year.

“Mr. Graeber was employed by a staffing agency that vets its employees prior to assignment,”  Graeber had been working in a non-patient facing laboratory role at University Hospital since March 15, 2023. His last day at MU Health Care was on Monday, Jan. 29.”

According to Modoc County Sheriff Tex Dowdy, Graeber is accused of killing Stacey Edmond in February 2021. Edmond’s obituary states that she died Feb. 7, 2021.

Edmond's death was at first considered accidental due to blunt force trauma to the head, Dowdy told ABC 17 News. The office continued to investigate the case, but could never get evidence to charge Graeber.

Dowdy says Edmond’s family eventually hired a private attorney last year, who came up with more evidence to pursue the case. He contracted with the investigator, and eventually got the warrant based on the new evidence, Dowdy said. His deputies and the investigator came to Columbia earlier this week and arrested him with the help of local law enforcement.

Dowdy did not describe the new uncovered evidence.

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