A man who has been missing since April 25th has been found dead.
According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the body of 23-year-old Dakota A. Patton was found on Monday, and and two people were arrested arrested in Missouri in connection with the death.
At around 11:40 a.m., deputies from the Labette County Sheriff’s Office and the Neosho County Sheriff’s Office were searching an area northeast of Parsons in rural Neosho County. They discovered Patton’s remains in a field near 20th Road and Xavier Road.
The KBI’s Crime Scene Response Team responded to the area. They collected evidence and determined Patton died from an apparent gunshot wound.
Arrest warrants for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder were secured for Clint W. Nibarger, 32, of Parsons, and Kimberly J. Thomas, 47, of Parsons.
At approximately 6 p.m. on Monday, Thomas was observed leaving a residence in Hollister, Missouri when she was arrested by the Taney County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies from the Taney County Sheriff’s Office then arrested Nibarger at the same residence at around 6:30 p.m.
Nibarger and Thomas were booked into the Taney County Jail.
The investigation is ongoing. Nothing further will be released.
ORIGINAL: A search continues for a man who went missing in southeast Kansas under suspicious circumstances.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Labette County Sheriff’s Office continue their search for Dakota A. Patton, the 23-year-old man who was last seen the evening of April 25, in Parsons, Kansas. Foul play is suspected in Patton’s disappearance.
The Labette County Sheriff’s Office requested KBI assistance on April 27, after Patton’s vehicle was located abandoned in a field in rural Labette County. Patton was also reported missing on April 27.
Patton is a white male. He is 5 ft. 11 in. tall and weighs around 230 lbs. He has brown hair, blue eyes, and facial hair. Patton was likely wearing blue jeans, a grey sweatshirt and boots.
KBI agents believe Patton may have last been in an area along the Neosho River _ between 20th Rd. and Wallace Rd., and 60th Rd. and Wallace Rd. Investigators ask fisherman, hunters, farmers, and hikers who frequent this area to report anything suspicious they encounter that may be connected to Patton’s disappearance.
If you have any information about the disappearance of Dakota Patton, please contact the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Labette County Sheriff’s Office at 620-795-2565. Anonymous tips can be made online at https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.
The investigation is ongoing.
