COLUMBIA — The man accused of dumping a woman's body in Perche Creek is now charged with murder.
Andrew B. Acton, 53, was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder in addition to the abandonment of a corpse and tampering with evidence charges he previously faced.
New court documents allege that Acton killed the victim by strangling or smothering her. The document alleges Acton killed the victim sometime between October 2025 and May 2026.
Investigators believe Acton had an established relationship with the victim and had lived with her, according to a Tuesday afternoon social media post by the Boone County Sheriff's Office.
A boater reported to the Boone County Sheriff's Office that they found a city of Columbia trash bin that smelled of decomposition in Perche Creek on May 19, according to previous KOMU 8 reporting. The trash can was sealed shut, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The Boone County Sheriff's Office and Boone County Fire Protection District responded to Perche Creek on May 17, 2026, after boaters found a trash bin that contained a body.
The Sheriff's Office was dispatched to Providence Landing Perche Creek Access, where deputies located the bin, moved it to the bank of the creek and opened it, according to a probable cause statement. Investigators found a body inside the trash bin; the victim was later identified as a 47-year-old woman from Columbia, according to the Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office said it was deferring to family and friends as to whether the victim's name should be publicly released.
The Sheriff's Office said in a Tuesday social media post that when the victim's body was located, there was evidence present to indicate she could have been murdered.
Andrew Acton
Acton, 53, was charged with abandonment of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence in felony prosecution on May 19. The Boone County Prosecuting Attorney's Office added a second-degree murder charge on Tuesday.
A surveillance photo of a red pickup truck entering Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area on May 11 helped authorities identify Acton as a suspect, according to court documents. The photo also showed a Columbia trash bin lying in the bed of the truck, according to court documents.
According to the probable cause statement, Acton's features were similar to the driver of the truck in the surveillance photo.
Acton was detained and interviewed after a traffic stop and said he could not remember anything about May 11 other than driving around, according to court documents.
Acton is being held in the Boone County Jail without bond. He appeared virtually in court on Tuesday and has his next appearance set for 1 p.m. June 9 at the Boone County Courthouse.