A man from Colorado, Benjamin Tyler Simmons, has been charged with the murder of Sarah Tafoya, a missing woman from Sterling. Tafoya’s body was found in the woods in Clay County, Missouri, after Simmons confessed to killing her in a Kansas City hotel. The investigation began after Tafoya’s estranged husband reported her missing and mentioned Simmons. Simmons is currently in custody on unrelated charges and has an active warrant for first-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse. The details of Tafoya’s death have not been released, and the motive for their presence in Missouri remains unknown. Anna Spoerre reported
Man Charged with Killing Missing Colorado Woman and Abandoning Body in Missouri Woods
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Tafoya’s estranged husband informed the authorities that during their final conversation on May 1, she mentioned being in Clay County with a man named Benjamin T. Simmons and expressed a need for help. A witness came forward on May 23, stating that Simmons had confessed to killing Tafoya in a hotel in the Kansas City area and leaving her body in the woods of Clay County.
Law enforcement officials interviewed Simmons on May 25, during which he allegedly admitted to the murder of Tafoya and provided information about the location where he left her body. Subsequently, human remains were discovered in the specified area with assistance from the Kansas City Police Department.
Simmons, originally from Fort Morgan, Colorado, was formally charged on June 6 in Clay County with first-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse. Recently, it was publicly announced that the body found has been identified as that of Tafoya.
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Sgt. Darrin Haslag from the Missouri State Highway Patrol mentioned that details regarding the cause of Tafoya’s death have not been disclosed yet. It remains unclear why Simmons and Tafoya were in Missouri, but Haslag noted that Simmons has connections to Clay County and Springfield.
Simmons is currently being held at the Missouri Department of Corrections Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center for an unrelated probation violation. Additionally, he has an active Clay County warrant for first-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse. Court records indicate that his bond has been set at $5 million, payable only in cash.
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