Authorities in Missouri announced on Wednesday that they have solved a 35-year-old cold case killing thanks to information provided by a person who came forward.
Three men, Bobby Banks, Leonard Banks, and Wiley Belt, all in their 60s, have been arrested and indicted on charges of first-degree murder, forcible rape, and first-degree kidnapping in the 1989 killing of 24-year-old Kelle Ann Workman.
Workman was last seen cutting grass at a rural cemetery in southwestern Missouri on June 30, 1989. Her body was found submerged in a creek over 10 miles away a week later. Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase expressed hope that the arrests would provide some closure to Workman’s family.
The breakthrough in the case came from someone who had kept information about the crime to themselves for nearly 30 years. Douglas County Prosecuting Attorney Matthew Weatherman described the information as “rock-solid” and said it provided the final piece needed to solve the case.
Shana Beebe, Workman’s first cousin, recalled the emotional toll the case took on her family. She described the initial panic when Workman was reported missing and the emotional search efforts that followed.
Beebe also mentioned the heartbreak and relief the family felt when Workman’s body was discovered, noting that some family members still struggle to talk about it to this day.
