Second Double Homicide Hits Rural Carroll County in Four Days, Suspect Held

Two adults were found dead inside a residence in the 1,100 block of Route D near Plymouth on Thursday after a 911 caller reported a shooting in the rural northwest corner of Carroll County, Missouri. A suspect was reportedly taken into custody, though authorities have not released the identities of the victims or the person detained.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported that the emergency call came in about a shooting at the residence, according to KMZU.com. Investigation details are not being released at this time, and the outlet says it will update the story as additional information becomes available. Plymouth itself is a tiny unincorporated community established in 1881, sitting about four miles south of Ludlow and five miles east of Braymer, according to Wikipedia.

A County Already Reeling From Violence

Thursday's shooting marks the second double-homicide investigation to hit Carroll County in less than a week. Just days earlier, on August 23, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Carroll County Sheriff's Office investigated the deaths of 46-year-old Bobbie Munson and 49-year-old Donald Horine near Route MM and County Road 250 in rural Carroll County, as reported by KMMO. That case's suspect, 48-year-old Ryan A. Munson, fled the state and was later found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a recreational vehicle in Decatur, Illinois, on August 26 — just one day before the Plymouth area shooting — ending a multi-state manhunt, as detailed in Hoodline's earlier coverage.

The contrast between the two cases is notable: in the August 23 incident, the suspect fled and was ultimately located out of state, while in Thursday's Plymouth area shooting, a suspect was reportedly taken into custody. Carroll County is an overwhelmingly rural place to absorb two such cases in such a short span — the 2020 U.S. Census counted just 8,495 residents across 695 square miles, a population density of roughly 12.2 people per square mile, per Towns & Villages in Carroll County, Missouri.

How Rural Missouri Counties Handle Major Cases

Carrollton is the county seat of Carroll County, which covers roughly 701 square miles. The Missouri Rural Major Case Squad was activated in the earlier Carroll County case, and the Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control participated, according to KQ2's reporting on the earlier case. Troop A of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, headquartered in Lee's Summit, provides investigative support across a 13-county district that includes Carroll County.

Thursday's case adds to the article's discussion of serious violent crime in Carroll County. Under Missouri Revised Statutes § 565.020, first-degree murder is classified as a Class A felony, carrying penalties limited to life imprisonment without parole or the death penalty for adult defendants.

No charges have been announced in Thursday's Plymouth area case, and officials have not released the names of the victims or the suspect. KMZU.com says it will continue to update its report as investigators release more information.