On the evening of Saturday, September 7, 2024, a fisherman made a grim discovery in a wooded area near Butler County Road 611 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. While in the vicinity of a UTV trail, the individual located the body of a deceased person wrapped in a comforter. Authorities were immediately notified, and the Butler County Major Case Squad, along with the Butler County Sheriff’s Department, the Poplar Bluff Police Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol, launched a homicide
investigation. The victim was soon identified as 32-year-old male Johnathan K. Esparza, a resident of Poplar Bluff.
An autopsy and subsequent investigation by the Butler County Coroner determined that Esparza had died from multiple gunshot wounds. As detectives pieced together the timeline of events, they learned that the fatal incident had occurred the previous night, Friday, September 6. Esparza had been riding in a stolen vehicle with two acquaintances, Jonathan Kimbrough and Wanda Stevens. According to law enforcement officials, a physical altercation broke out between Esparza and Stevens while they were inside the vehicle. The situation escalated rapidly when Kimbrough, reportedly enraged by the conflict, produced a firearm.
While Esparza was seated in the driver's seat of the van, Kimbrough allegedly shot him multiple times at close range, ending his life. following the shooting, Kimbrough and Stevens worked together to conceal the crime. They wrapped Esparza’s body in bedding and transported him to the remote location off County Road 611, where they dumped his remains in the woods. The pair then left the scene, abandoning the body where it would be found the following day.
The investigation quickly led to the apprehension of both suspects. Jonathan Kimbrough, 33, and Wanda Stevens, 31, both residents of Poplar Bluff, were taken into custody and held at the Butler County Justice Center. Prosecutors charged both individuals with second-degree murder and armed criminal action for their alleged roles in the killing and the subsequent disposal of the body. The swift identification and arrest of the suspects provided a resolution to the initial inquiry, though the legal proceedings against them were just beginning.
