BELLE, Mo. — An autopsy on the 4-year-old boy and his family friend found dead in Gasconade County last week found they died of gunshot wounds in an apparent murder-suicide.
According to a press release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the autopsy found Bentlee J. Turner died from a gunshot wound to the head and Monty Jason Barton died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Just after 8 p.m. last Monday, Belle police notified the Missouri State Highway Patrol about a missing 4-year-old boy from Belle, Missouri.
The boy had reportedly been with a family friend since Sunday morning.
On Wednesday, police identified the boy as Bentlee J. Turner and the man as Monty Jason Barton.
At around 11:30 p.m., officers found the man’s car on Valentine Ford Road near Route A, about 20 minutes outside of Belle. The bodies of the boy and the man were found nearby.
Belle is a town of about 1,500 people, and those who live there say everybody knows everybody. Many told 5 On Your Side they saw the boy and family friend together frequently.
The press release said the Missouri State Highway Patrol is still investigating the circumstance that led up to the shooting.
