Five men from the same family are in custody in a stunning child sex crimes case in Missouri — and cadaver dogs are now being used in a hunt for possible bodies of victims, Fox4KC.com reports.
Police are searching a patch of land on a farm property Wednesday near Bates City, Mo., a day after the men were charged with committing sex crimes against children, according to Fox4KC.com.
Charged with multiple counts of child rape are 77-year-old Burrell Edward Mohler Sr. and his son Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53, both of Independence, Mo., along with 48-year-old Jared Leroy Mohler of Columbia, Mo.
David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa, was charged with one count of child rape, and Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City, Mo., is accused of using a child in a sexual performance — a felony. The relationships of Jared, David and Roland Mohler to Burrell Mohler Sr. and Burrell Mohler Jr. weren't immediately known.
The crimes allegedly were committed from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s.
The elder Burrell Mohler is accused of drugging and forcibly raping a child under 12 and using a child in a sexual performance. His son is charged with sexual assault of a child under 14 and using a child in a sexual performance.
It wasn't clear how many young victims there allegedly were. All five men are being held behind bars without bond.
A press conference will be held Wednesday to discuss more details of the case.
MARSHALLNEWS.com
Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City, was arrested Tuesday, Nov. 10, and along with his father and three brothers, charged with 14 felonies, including forcible sodomy and forcible rape with a child less than 12 years old and use of a child in a sexual performance, according to a news release from Missouri Highway Patrol. Mohler was employed as a paramedic with Saline County Ambulance District #3 at the time of his arrest, and was arrested while on duty, according to sources at the ambulance district office.
News accounts differ on the number of charges and who has been charged with specific counts; unofficial online court records indicate Roland has been charged with one count of class C felony use of a child in a sexual performance.
Mohler has been placed on suspension and a report has been filed with the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services in Jefferson City.
Ambulance District Supervisor Wade Kelling is out of town, due to the sudden death of his mother; Ambulance District Board Chairman Corbin Allred is filling in in Kelling's absence.
A press conference was scheduled for noon Wednesday at the county sheriff's office in Lexington. More information will follow as it becomes available.
KANSAS CITY STAR
Authorities are searching a rural property just south of Bates City, Mo., for glass jars with notes written by children who were allegedly being abused.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said crews are searching several acres of land just south Bates City in western Missouri, in connection with the arrest of five men on various charges of sexually abusing children.
Five members of the same family — all men — were arrested Tuesday.
The men, ages 47 to 77, were charged with 14 felonies, according to a news release from the Missouri Highway Patrol. The charges include forcible sodomy and forcible rape with a child less than 12 years old and use of a child in a sexual performance.
The alleged crimes happened between 1988 and 1995, according to online charging documents.
Two men from Independence were charged — Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77, and Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53. Also charged were Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City; and David A. Mohler, 52, of Iowa. All five were in the Lafayette County Jail.
The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department, the Rural Missouri Major Case Squad and the Highway Patrol investigated.
The Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force is aiding in the continuing investigation.
Corporal Bill Lowe of the Highway Patrol said one of the victims came forward to investigators in mid-August and that other children are cooperating.
Lowe said the victims allegedly buried glass jars around the property, filled with messages “about what was happening to them.”
Lowe wouldn’t elaborate further.
