Donna M. Tooley, 51, of High Ridge has been charged with second-degree murder and two other felonies in connection with the death of Vincent S. White, 50, of High Ridge, whose remains were found Jan. 10 in a burn pile at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Chouteau Claim Access Area near the confluence of the Meramec and Bourbeuse rivers in Franklin County, authorities report.
White apparently had been dismembered and only some parts of his body were among the remains found at the access area, said Capt. Gary Higginbotham of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, who also is deputy commander with the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, which is handling the case.
He said DNA samples were used to identify White.
Higginbotham said it looked like the remains had been at the site for a couple of days before they were discovered.
Tooley, who lived with White in the Jefferson County portion of High Ridge, was arrested Jan. 27 in connection with the alleged homicide.
On Feb. 3, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged her with second-degree murder, a class A felony; armed criminal action, an unclassified felony; and tampering with physical evidence in a felony investigation, a class E felony. The murder charge is punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison, the armed criminal charge carries a minimum sentence of three years, and the tampering charge is punishable by a maximum of four years.
Tooley was being held today (Feb. 5) in the Jefferson County Jail on a $100,000 cash-only bond.