In the small, unincorporated community of Boss, Missouri, a family dispute turned deadly, leaving two brothers dead in what authorities have described as a murder-suicide. Phillip Tinker, a 42-year-old male, was killed on Sunday, February 17, 2019, a life cut short in a tragic confrontation with his own brother.
The events of that day unfolded after an argument over a gun escalated. The mother of the two men placed a harrowing 911 call, alerting authorities to the initial shooting. When officers from the Dent County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene near the border of Dent and Iron counties, they discovered a grim reality. Phillip Tinker was found deceased inside a residence, having suffered a fatal gunshot wound.
The search for the suspect led investigators to a nearby home where Phillip's brother, Dennis Dyer, had barricaded himself. As law enforcement surrounded the house, a single gunshot was heard from within, followed by the sight of smoke billowing from the structure. After the subsequent fire was put out, officers entered the home to find Dyer deceased, also from a gunshot wound.
The investigation into the tragic incident concluded that Dyer had shot and killed his brother, Phillip Tinker, before taking his own life. As the perpetrator was also deceased, no arrests were made in connection with Tinker's death, closing a painful chapter for a family torn apart by violence.
