In the quiet woods of southeast Missouri, a grim discovery brought a months-long search to a somber end. The body of 63-year-old Sharon Nelson, a white female from High Ridge, was found on January 13, 2016, near the Black River in an area recently submerged by floodwaters near Lesterville. She had been reported missing since November 4, 2015, leaving her family and friends in a state of anxious uncertainty for over two months.
An autopsy would later reveal the chilling truth behind her disappearance; Nelson had suffered a gunshot wound to the head, and her death was officially ruled a homicide.
The investigation into Nelson's death quickly gained momentum, and authorities identified persons of interest. In March 2016, the case saw a significant development with the arrest of two individuals. Thirty-six-year-old Brad Kopf was charged with first-degree murder, bearing the weight of the accusation of ending Nelson's life. Alongside him, 40-year-old Carrie Chitwood faced charges of abandonment of a corpse, a grim accusation suggesting an attempt to conceal the crime that had been committed.
Following the arrests, the legal process began to unfold. A preliminary hearing for both Kopf and Chitwood was scheduled for April 6, 2016, marking the next step in the pursuit of justice for Sharon Nelson. The charges brought a sense of closure to some, but the harrowing details of Nelson's final moments and the alleged involvement of the two suspects painted a dark and troubling picture of the events that transpired in the remote Missouri landscape.
