Two residents from Jefferson City have been charged with 1st Degree Murder in Moniteau County.

The charges stem from events when Jon L. Williams was reported missing by family members. He had reportedly last been seen in 2015 in Moniteau County.

Detectives with the Moniteau County Sheriff's Department followed up on leads but did not locate Williams.

Then on June 16, 2019, Moniteau Co authorities were contacted by the Cole County Sheriff's Office, saying they had information obtained from a subject in their custody about the disappearance of Williams.

Information obtained from the subject led authorities to a property located in the 2700 block of Bess Hill Road, just outside Jefferson City. The information indicated there was possibly a buried body at the location.

Detectives then contacted the Missouri State Highway Patrol to assist with cadaver K-9s in searching the area.

The K-9s gave a positive alert and detectives conducted a sub-surface excavation, which yielded human skeletal remains.

The remains were turned over to the medical examiner's office for further analysis.

Detectives then re-interviewed the subject in custody, who reportedly said he was present at the time the body was brought to the property and assisted with the burial. With that information, detectives attempted to locate the suspects, identified as 59-year old Sandy R. Gallaspie and 47-year old Suzanne J. Ponder, both of Jefferson City.

Ponder was located and taken into custody in Cole County for abandonment of a corpse. She was released from custody with a court date. Detectives had also received information that Gallaspie was trying to evade law enforcement and had allegedly made threats to others' that he was possibly armed and would not go back to prison.

On July 6, 2019, Gallaspie was taken into custody in Cole County after authorities conducted a raid on a residence. Gallaspie was taken to a hospital for a pre-existing medical condition. Moniteau and Cole County detectives interviewed Gallaspie, who reportedly admitted he killed Jon Williams near Mount Hope Road in Moniteau County in 2015.

On July 7, 2019, detectives located Ponder and took her back into custody at the Moniteau County Jail.

Both Gallaspie and Ponder have been charged with 1st Degree Murder in the death of Jon Williams.

The Moniteau County Sheriff's Department says in a press release the skeletal remains have not been positively identified as of this date. But they are very confident the remains are that of Jon L. Williams.

Gallaspie is being held in the Cole County Jail with no bond.

Ponder is being held in the Moniteau County Jail with no bond.

The case is ongoing and further investigation is being conducted.

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