Hunter finds remains of man missing under suspicious circumstances, Missouri cops say

A hunter recently found the remains of a Missouri man who went missing under suspicious circumstances over a year ago, authorities say.

Jerry Crew, a 36-year-old Cedar Hill man, was reported missing on April 29, 2021, and the investigation into his disappearance led to a deadly shootout and a dead-end, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

About a month after he went missing, investigators arrived at Crew’s last known address with a warrant. Another man, Anthony Legens, was waiting inside.

Legens opened fire, hitting and wounding a SWAT officer. Police fired back, killing Legens, the sheriff’s office said in a June 2021 news release.

In the home, police found guns, drugs and the body of a woman later identified as 31-year-old Tanya Gould.

Gould had been dead for several days, likely killed by Legens, though that hasn’t been proven, investigators told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

But Crew was still nowhere to be found and a prime suspect in his disappearance, Legens, was now dead.

A year passed and the sheriff’s office had little news to share on the case.

Then, on Nov. 11, came a 911 call. A hunter stumbled onto a skull and scattered bones in the woods around Dittmer, a community about 4 miles southwest of Cedar Hill, the sheriff’s office said in a Nov. 15 release. Cedar Hills is about 35 miles southwest of St. Louis.

Dental records confirmed the skull to be Crew’s.

A cause of death hasn’t been determined but the sheriff’s office said the investigation “remains very active.”

Anyone with information regarding Crew’s disappearance is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 636-797-5515.

This story was originally published November 16, 2022 at 9:11 AM with the headline "Hunter finds remains of man missing under suspicious circumstances, Missouri cops say."