On the evening of March 12, 2025, law enforcement in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, mobilized after receiving a distressed call regarding a residence in the 200 block of Woods Avenue. A family member, unable to reach the occupants, requested a welfare check at the home around 8:39 p.m. When officers from the Excelsior Springs Police Department arrived, they found the house secured and quiet.
At the urging of the concerned family member on the scene, police forced entry into the dwelling to verify the safety of those inside.
Upon entering, authorities discovered a tragic scene containing the bodies of two adult males. The deceased were identified as 31-year-old Chad Daniel Wooten and his cousin and roommate, 33-year-old Dare M. Kinney. Both men were military veterans who had lived together for several years following their service. The initial assessment by first responders indicated that both individuals had died from unnatural causes, prompting an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
As detectives and forensic teams processed the evidence, a clearer picture of the events emerged, leading authorities to classify the incident as a murder-suicide. The investigation determined that Wooten had attacked Kinney while the latter was seated in the living room. Autopsy reports revealed that Kinney sustained multiple fatal injuries, including a gunshot wound and numerous stab wounds. Law enforcement noted the absence of defensive wounds on Kinney or signs of a struggle in the living area, suggesting the attack was sudden and that the victim likely never moved from his position.
Following the assault on his cousin, evidence indicated that Wooten retreated to his bedroom down the hallway. There, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Excelsior Springs Police Department confirmed there were no other suspects involved and that the violence was contained within the residence. Despite the conclusion of the physical timeline, investigators found no suicide note, and the specific motive behind Wooten's actions remained undetermined. The case was subsequently closed with the determination that Wooten was the sole perpetrator of the homicide before taking his own life.
