In the early hours of September 6, 2024, the life of Casey Shawn Edward Shaffer, a 30-year-old White / Caucasian male, was tragically cut short in a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, apartment. Responding to a woman's call to remove an individual from her residence at 808 West Bailey Street, police discovered Shaffer deceased on the living room floor, the victim of multiple gunshot wounds from a small-caliber handgun.
The events leading to this fatal encounter began with accusations from the
woman that Shaffer had sexually assaulted her six-year-old son. Shaffer, who had been staying at the apartment for a couple of days, denied these allegations in a text message exchange with the mother. This accusation, however, prompted a confrontation with 30-year-old Dylan Tyler Farmer, an associate of both the woman and Shaffer.
In a surprising turn of events, Farmer had attempted to turn himself in at the Minnehaha County Jail earlier in the day, confessing to the shooting. However, with no report of a crime, no body, and vague details from Farmer, authorities initially dismissed his confession, considering he might be a publicity seeker or mentally disturbed. It wasn't until the discovery of Shaffer's body, prompted by the woman's call, that the gravity of his confession became clear. Farmer's credit card found at the crime scene further solidified his connection to the murder.
Following the discovery, Dylan Tyler Farmer was arrested and charged with first and second-degree murder. He later admitted to law enforcement that he shot Shaffer in the face because he believed Shaffer had inappropriately touched a child. Farmer is currently being held on a $1 million cash-only bond. This incident marked the eighth homicide in Sioux Falls in 2024. Law enforcement has stated that all individuals involved in the case were known to each other and that the killing was not a random act of violence.
