MO - Landon Bays, 18, found murdered, Springfield, 11 March 2016

Springfield police and murdered teen's family look for answers
Linda Russell and Tom Schultheis KY3
POSTED: 05:55 PM CDT Mar 17, 2016 UPDATED: 08:59 PM CDT Mar 17, 2016

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -
Police are still looking for the killer of an 18 year old man left to die on the side of a Springfield street. His family and police continue the search for answers. Landon Bays was taken off life support Monday, but it's been nearly a week since a passerby found him clinging to life.

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"He led with his heart. It didn't matter if it was in society norms or not. He was going to cross busy traffic to talk to some homeless guy who looked lonely," says Brooke Bays, Landon's sister.

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Landon's family says his car was in a nearby McDonald's parking lot, and someone took what belongings he usually carried with him. Police say they are receiving tips and following up on several leads. "The community can rest assured, we are putting all resources on this to find the killer," says Holland.

Springfield police identity assault victim with life-threatening injuries
POSTED: 12:51 PM CST Mar 12, 2016 UPDATED: 03:42 PM CDT Mar 14, 2016

SPRINGFIELD, MO. -
Springfield police have identified a man assaulted Friday night in the 800 block of W. Catalpa.
Police say the man is Landon Mark Bays, 18, of Springfield. He is hospitalized in critical condition. He was found Friday night, but had no form of identification. Police had earlier issued an advisory, hoping someone might recognize a tattoo on his left forearm..

Anyone who has information about the assault should call police at 417-864-1810.

Mom says son disappeared from Springfield McDonald's before fatal shooting
Harrison Keegan, HKEEGAN@NEWS-LEADER.COM 5:11 p.m. CDT March 17, 2016

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Robyn Wittke said her son Landon Bays, 18, went to the McDonald's on Sunshine Street near Campbell Avenue with a couple of friends on Friday evening.

Wittke said Bays' friend told her Bays' phone started to ring as he was entering the restaurant, so he stepped outside to take the call.

When Bays' friends finished eating, Wittke said, they went outside to meet up with him, but he wasn't there.

Bays' car was still in the parking lot, but he was gone, his mother said.

About 7 p.m. that evening, police say they found Bays on the side of a dark stretch of Catalpa Street about a mile away from the McDonald's. He had been shot.

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The department released a photo of a wolf tattoo on Bays' forearm and asked for the public's help to find out who he was.

When Wittke saw the photo, she said she knew immediately it was her son.

"We didn't want him to get the tattoo initially," Wittke said. "But he said it represented family and courage and honor and his late stepfather."

cont. at the link

Neighbors recount assault that left Springfield man in critical condition
Harrison Keegan, HKEEGAN@NEWS-LEADER.COM 8:06 p.m. CDT March 13, 2016

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There are no homes along the street where police say Bays was assaulted. On the south side of the street is a long wooden fence, and on the north side of the street is a grassy area and a lot.
Neighbors say that stretch of Catalpa Street is not illuminated at night and it sometimes attracts unwanted activity like people dumping trash or shooting guns.

Les Workman lives around the corner from where police say the assault occurred.
Workman said he was in his shed at about 7 p.m. Friday when he heard a loud pop and then what sounded like a vehicle speeding away. Workman said he looked outside but didn't see anything.

"I didn't think that much of it, because we hear a lot of that around here anymore," Workman said.

A few minutes later, Workman's neighbor José Morales rode down Catalpa Street on his bicycle.
Morales said he saw what he thought was a man on the ground with his legs in the road and his torso over the curb.

Morales dropped the bike at his nearby home, called for his fiance and then walked back down the road with a flashlight.

"I walked up on him and I heard he was breathing rough," Morales said. "I shined my flashlight on him and I seen blood and I called 911."

[...]

Anyone with information on what happened is asked to call the Springfield Police Department at 417-864-1810.

On March 11 at 6:58 police were called to West Catalpa where a man was found injured, lying on the road -- he had been shot. He wore only a pair of shorts. The only identifying mark was a tattoo of a wolf. With not a lot of information to go on, police asked for help to identify the man. KSPR posted the photo of the tattoo to our website, where the victim’s family saw it identifying their loved one.

Now several days later, we’re finally getting more information about happened.

"His legs were laying in the road, and his body was on the curb," explained Denise Spradling.

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Wittke says the wolf tattoo used to identify her son, was at first a point of contention, but in the end she was okay with it. He got it after his step-father died from cancer. It represented pack, honor, and courage. Things his family needs now more than ever.

Bays’ family is asking for your help. They say if you saw anything on the evening of Friday, March 11 on West Catalpa Street, or near the McDonalds on Sunshine Street, they’d like you to call the Springfield Police Department.

We talked with the Springfield Police Department about what happened to Bays. They say their detectives are investigating and making progress in the case. They are not releasing any new information at this time.

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http://www.kspr.com/news/local/he-was-taken/21051620_38533134

Image of tattoo- http://www.news-leader.com/story/ne...-springfield-man-critical-condition/81728140/At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, Landon Bays cut an intimidating figure, but he was a sweet guy who liked giving hugs, his father told the News-Leader on Monday."He always put others first," Blake Bays said about his son. "He was good about taking people under his wing who were the underdogs."
source- http://www.news-leader.com/story/ne...-shot-friday-springfield-police-say/81779158/

So odd that he was found only in his shorts. Were his shoes gone too? The low temperature that evening was 41.

Map of the area: http://binged.it/1Lx4eKP

A year later, family struggles with Springfield's only unsolved homicide of 2016

http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/crime/2017/03/11/year-later-family-struggles-springfields-only-unsolved-homicide-2016/98603158/

"We're missing somebody," Wittke said. "And he deserves better than this. He deserves justice."

Bays, 18, was found lying on the side of West Catalpa Street in Springfield with a gunshot wound on March 11, 2016. He later died at the hospital.

The shooting is Springfield's only homicide from 2016 that remains unsolved, and Bays's parents told the News-Leader this month they are starting to worry that criminal charges will never be filed in the case.

"There's a hole that can never be filled," Wittke said. "Closure on the case would be very helpful."

A spokesman for the Springfield Police Department declined to say this week whether detectives are close to making an arrest or provide further details about the open investigation.

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Blake said he's not an expert on homicide investigations, but he knows the chances of solving a whodunit don't usually get better with time.

"People keep telling me to be patient," Blake said. "I know there are times that it might take two or three years, but I also know the longer time goes on, the less chance you have. People forget conversations, they forget what they saw, when they saw it, how they saw it."

So as the one-year mark approaches, Blake said he will keep calling.

"That's the only thing I got control of is picking up the phone," Blake said. "Not to be able to do more makes you feel like you are letting your kid down."

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To cope, family opens restaurant in honor of slain Springfield man - July 2016

Springfield investigators work open homicide cases

http://www.kspr.com/content/news/Springfield-investigators-continue-to-work-open-homicide-cases-450524173.html

"The Landon Bays homicide, which is from last year, we're still working on that and making progress on that," he says.

"That's my little brother. It's really hard to keep hope that's for sure," says Brooke Bays.

She says her family is still waiting for answers.

"I know that over time, you just got to keep moving forward. “It is hard to keep patience. We just have to trust. We know that they're doing their job," she says.

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After more than two years of investigating, police arrested a man Friday in connection with a Springfield homicide.

Chad Murphy, 35, has been indicted on a second-degree murder charge in connection with the March 2016 killing of 18-year-old Landon Bays.

Police make arrest in connection with 2016 Springfield homicide

The Greene County grand jury indictment also charges Chad Murphy, 35, with tampering with evidence, and drug possession.

Because this is a grand jury indictment, details have not been made public. But Greene County prosecutors do confirm the charge is related to the March 11, 2016 shooting of Landon Bays. He was found with gunshot wounds along W. Catalpa Street and died two days later. His mother said that Bays had been abducted from the McDonald's at Sunshine and Wedgewood, where he had gone with friends.

It was also two years ago that Murphy was charged with failing to register as a sex offender.

Springfield man indicted on second degree murder charge