White / Caucasian Misty Ladawn Reynolds, a 38-year-old female, was the victim of a violent incident that unfolded in the early morning hours of December 29, 2021, in Bloomfield, Missouri. The disturbance began at a residence on County Road 503, prompting a frantic call to Stoddard County 911 around 4:00 a.m. Dispatchers could hear a chaotic scene in the background, with a man yelling for help and a woman screaming, which immediately escalated the urgency of the response. When law enforcement arrived at the rural home, they discovered Misty lying on the front porch, suffering from a critical gunshot wound to her upper left chest.
Despite the rapid arrival of emergency services, the severity of the injury proved fatal. A deputy on the scene detected a faint pulse and she was rushed to SoutheastHEALTH in Dexter for emergency treatment. However, medical efforts were unable to save her, and she was pronounced dead shortly after 5:30 a.m. The tragic event shocked the local community and launched an immediate investigation by the Stoddard County Major Case Squad, the Sheriff’s Office, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol to determine how the fatal shooting occurred.
At the scene, deputies encountered 39-year-old John Clary, who answered the door and was subsequently detained. During the initial inquiry, Clary provided investigators with shifting and inconsistent accounts of the events leading up to the shooting. He initially claimed that Misty had fallen and shot herself, suggesting a suicide or an accident. Later, he altered his story, admitting that the two had been in a heated argument. In one version of his account, he stated he had retrieved a firearm to threaten Misty’s ex-boyfriend, leading to a struggle over the weapon during which the gun discharged. Clary also admitted to authorities that he had used methamphetamine on the day of the incident.
The investigation revealed further incriminating details regarding the weapon involved. The firearm, a. 22-caliber pistol, was determined to have been stolen from Scott County earlier that year. Following his detention and the unraveling of his conflicting statements, prosecutors charged John Clary with second-degree murder, felony murder, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a stolen firearm. He was held without bond as the legal process against him commenced.
Misty was remembered as a dedicated employee of Tyson Foods in Dexter and a graduate of John 3:17 Ministries. Born in Cape Girardeau, she was a mother to a son and a daughter and was survived by her mother and extended family. Her untimely death left her family and the residents of Stoddard County mourning the loss of a life taken too soon under violent and distressing circumstances.
