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Police identify 4-year-old, family friend found dead in Gasconade County

Many people in town told 5 On Your Side they saw the boy and family friend together frequently.

GASCONADE COUNTY, Mo. — The bodies of a missing 4-year-old boy and a 37-year-old man were found Monday night in Gasconade County.

Just after 8 p.m. 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. Autopsies on both victims are scheduled for Thursday.

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.

"Anytime I ever seen 'em, it was the two of them together always," Sheila Thomas said.

Thomas' family owns the barbecue joint in town. She says the two would often walk by her restaurant.

"They were always laughing and cutting up," she said. 

Employees at the Double L Country Store, where the boy's mom works, are now raising money for his funeral, as the town wonders what went wrong.

"I don't remember a time when something like this tragic has happened," Thomas said.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says autopsies will take place in the next couple of days to figure out how the two died.

5 On Your Side asked troopers why an Amber Alert was never issued for the boy. They told us it's because there was never a clear sign he was in danger.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Press Release: At 8:13 p.m., on Monda... y, September 16, 2019, the Belle Police Department notified the Missouri State Highway Patrol of a missing four-year-old male from Belle, Missouri. The child had reportedly been with a 37-year-old male family friend since the morning hours of Sunday, September 15, 2019.

This is a developing story and will be updated as 5 On Your Side receives more information.

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