Owensville police investigate Sunday morning death as homicide

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Police are investigating a homicide after a stabbing left one person dead and three others injured early Sunday morning in Owensville.

The Owensville Police Department said officers responded around 1:30 a.m. Sunday to a report of a death.

Police Chief Scott Griffith told ABC 17 the incident involved a stabbing. Three other people were injured and taken to a local hospital for treatment. Their conditions have not been released.

An ABC 17 reporter went to the scene Sunday afternoon and saw spray-painted markings in the area, left behind as investigators documented the scene.

A nearby neighbor, who did not want to be identified because of the severity of the case, told ABC 17 she heard yelling coming from an alley early Sunday morning.

She said the area became quiet a couple of minutes later before she saw police vehicles arrive.

Several neighbors told ABC 17 the violence is unusual for Owensville, describing the community as laid-back and close-knit, where many people know one another.

Jesus Delapaz frequently visits Owensville to help out at a local Mexican restaurant just around the corner from where the stabbing happened.

Delapaz said he was shocked when he heard about the homicide.

“It’s a very small, quiet town. Everybody is really friendly. It’s a lot of farmers, ranchers out here that help one another out. So this country scene. So not really big city type like other surrounding cities.” he said.

According to a Facebook post from the Owensville Police Department, officers responded to First Street early Sunday morning for a death.

The post says that because the death is actively being investigated as a homicide, no additional information will be immediately released.

The public is not in any danger, according to police.