Investigators: Man murdered sister and abandoned body

A long investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and other agencies led to first-degree murder charges Thursday against a man accused of murdering his sister.

Robert C. Bender, 59, of Alton, was arrested Wednesday on charges of first-degree murder and stealing, after human remains were found Jan. 12, 2022, in Shannon County.

The body was found off U.S. 60 west of Winona in Shannon County. An autopsy showed the cause of death was murder, but the identification could not be made. In April 2024, investigators received information that led them to identify the victim as Debra J. Ramsey, 66, of Alton. On Wednesday, authorities executed a search warrant in Oregon County at the former residence of Ramsey, which is the current home of her brother, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

Following a search and interview of Bender, he was arrested and taken to the Oregon County Jail.

On Thursday, the Shannon County prosecutor, who is appointed as special prosecutor, charged Bender, who also is charged with an abandonment of a corpse in Shannon County. He is in the Oregon County Jail, where he held without bond.

The investigation was conducted by officers of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Troop D and F Special Weapons and Tactics Teams, West Plains Police Department, Shannon County Sheriff’s Department, Oregon County Sheriff’s Department, Region G K9 Search and Rescue and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General.

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