On April 28, 2018, authorities discovered the body of 73-year-old Lawrence Clinton Brostedt, a male resident of the Squires, Missouri area, following a request for a well-being check at his home on Up Hill Lane. The investigation began after the Mountain Grove Police Department arrested an individual in Wright County on unrelated charges and found them in possession of personal checks belonging to Brostedt. Unable to reach the homeowner by phone, law enforcement officials from the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office traveled to his residence in the rural community near Thornfield to investigate his safety. Upon arrival, deputies found signs of forced entry and burglary, eventually locating Brostedt’s remains in a detached garage. His body had been bound with rope and concealed inside multiple tarps on the garage floor, where evidence indicated he had been ambushed and shot in the back of the head.
The ensuing investigation revealed a plot to rob the victim, whom the perpetrators believed possessed significant amounts of cash and firearms. Authorities identified three primary suspects: Tylor Rynard, Holly Lucas, and Michael A. Smith. Rynard and Lucas were implicated directly in the murder, with court documents detailing that Rynard lured Brostedt into the garage before shooting him with a pistol provided by Lucas. Following the shooting, Lucas reportedly attempted to clean the crime scene with ammonia and water while Rynard wrapped the victim’s body. Rynard then fled the state but was apprehended days later in Orlando, Florida, by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Legal proceedings resulted in convictions for the key figures involved in the homicide. Holly Lucas pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery, agreeing to testify against her co-defendant; she received two concurrent 10-year prison sentences. Tylor Rynard, who had a history of prior felony convictions, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery after his case was transferred to Phelps County. He was sentenced to 30 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Michael A. Smith, who admitted to conspiring with Rynard to plan the robbery, faced charges for conspiracy to commit robbery, though he was also held by federal authorities on separate charges related to child pornography found on his phone during the investigation.
