On the morning of April 9, 2020, authorities in Riverside, Missouri, were summoned to a wooded area near the 4300 block of Northwest Tullison Road following reports of a suspicious object. Upon arrival, officers discovered human remains concealed beneath a bridge, resting on a sheet of plywood and wrapped in plastic sheeting that had originally packaged a box spring. The victim was identified as 54-year-old Hispanic male Conrado 'Conrad' Mendez Jr., who had been missing for several weeks.
The grim discovery initiated a homicide investigation assisted by the Kansas City Metro Squad, as detectives worked to trace the events leading to his death and the disposal of his body in the remote location.
Investigators soon focused their attention on William M. Bell, a 25-year-old man who had been Mendez's roommate at a residence in Kansas City. During the inquiry, it was revealed that Mendez had moved out of the shared home weeks prior, but evidence began to mount against Bell. Police learned that Bell had communicated details of the crime in messages on social media, admitting to an acquaintance that he had killed Mendez. In interviews with law enforcement, Bell alleged that a confrontation occurred on March 28, 2020, during which he claimed Mendez was intoxicated and behaving aggressively. Bell stated he shot Mendez during this altercation, believing the older man might have been armed with a knife, although investigators later uncovered that Bell had taken steps to conceal the crime rather than claiming self-defense immediately.
Further evidence solidified the case against Bell. A trash bag found at the dump site contained rubber gloves with DNA linked to both the suspect and the victim. Additionally, detectives traced the plastic wrapping used to encase the body back to a furniture store purchase made by one of the roommates. Following the shooting, Bell allegedly kept the body before transporting it to the wooded area in Riverside to abandon it. He was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and abandonment of a corpse. In November 2023, William M. Bell pleaded guilty to the charges related to the killing and was sentenced to serve 28 years in prison.
