BREAKING – Skeletal remains identified as Ira Briscoe

A mother’s heart wrenching search for her son is over. Today, Howell County Sheriff Matt Roberts confirmed that one set of skeletal remains discovered six months ago is the body of Ira Briscoe. Two skeletons were discovered on August 10 in the Lanton, Mo. area. The remains were found four miles from where Briscoe, and Limon Little, lived when they disappeared in December 2020.
 

The Sheriff's office learned from a forensic scientist at the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab in Springfield that there is a 99.9999999999% likelihood the recovered remains are the biological child of Rodney and Marilyn Briscoe, according to a March 18 release.
 

Shortly after receiving the news, Sheriff Roberts traveled to the Briscoe residence to break the news.
 

In a Tuesday afternoon interview, Roberts confirmed the case will continue as a homicide investigation.
 

“We were already working it as a homicide based on how we found the remains,” Sheriff Roberts said. “The way the remains were discovered – it could not have been an accident.”
Law enforcement is not releasing the names of any suspects at this time.
 

The other human remains located at the same location as Ira Briscoe have not been identified. These remains will be submitted to a private laboratory for further DNA testing. The Sheriff contacted the next of kin to Limon Little to advise her of the current status of the case.
 

This is a developing news story. See the March 26 print edition for more details.