In the early morning hours of February 22, 2020, officers from the Sedalia Police Department were dispatched to the 700 block of East 17th Street in Sedalia, Missouri, following reports of a person lying in the roadway. Upon arrival, they discovered the lifeless body of 45-year-old Robert George 'Buck' Fox Jr., a white male who had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.
An autopsy later confirmed the cause of death, launching a homicide investigation that would stretch from Sedalia to Kansas City as detectives worked to piece together the events leading to the violent encounter.
Investigators quickly determined that the killing was not a random act of violence but rather the tragic conclusion of a dispute over a debt owed to a drug cartel based in Kansas City. Detectives learned that two men, Daniel Fernandez and Joseph D. Rankin, had traveled to Sedalia with the specific intent of collecting the money or exacting punishment. The inquiry revealed that Fox had been inside a vehicle with the suspects and another witness when an altercation broke out. During the struggle, Fox was shot in the chest but managed to exit the vehicle before collapsing in the street as the assailants fled the scene.
Law enforcement tracked the suspect vehicle's movements, utilizing cell phone data and surveillance to link the car to the Kansas City area. This digital trail, combined with witness statements, led to the identification and subsequent arrest of Daniel Fernandez in Overland Park, Kansas. Fernandez was initially charged with second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon. In May 2021, he accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to reduced charges of voluntary manslaughter and third-degree kidnapping. A judge sentenced him to eight years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the manslaughter charge and a consecutive one-year term for the kidnapping charge.
Further investigation implicated Joseph D. Rankin as a key figure in the incident, described by witnesses as an enforcer who had threatened others in the vehicle with an ax prior to the shooting. Rankin was arrested and faced similar felony charges, including second-degree murder and armed criminal action. After a change of venue to Saline County, Rankin reached a plea agreement in June 2023, just days before his jury trial was set to commence. He pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter for his role in Fox's death, bringing a legal conclusion to the case more than three years after the fatal shooting occurred.
