Authorities said dental records identified the remains as 18-year-old Ceasar Asbury.
BUCYRUS, Mo. — Prosecutors charged a Texas County couple with second-degree murder after authorities said skeletal remains found in a shallow grave behind their rural home were identified as their 18-year-old son, Ceasar Asbury, in a case that began as a missing person investigation.
Chaun C. Asbury, 42, and Tamla Asbury, 45, now face murder, child abuse and corpse abandonment counts tied to the death of Ceasar Asbury and the alleged abuse of other children at the home. The indictment, released May 7, moved the case from an initial child abuse investigation into a death case. Authorities said the surviving juveniles were removed from the property, and both defendants were being held in the Texas County Jail without bond.
Deputies served a search warrant March 10 at a residence on Lundy Road in the Bucyrus area, west of Houston, Missouri. The Texas County Sheriff’s Office said the warrant was tied to a missing person investigation. As officers approached, Chaun Asbury tried to run and was taken into custody, investigators said. Tamla Asbury came out of the home and was detained. Three juveniles were at the property. Deputies said one child was locked in a shed with no utilities, bound to a bed and severely malnourished. Sheriff Scott Lindsey later called it “the worst case of child abuse and neglect” he had seen in more than 28 years in law enforcement.
Investigators said the home had no utilities or sewer service and showed signs of unsafe and unsanitary living conditions. Deputies also reported evidence of physical abuse and unnecessary restraint involving children at the residence. As the search continued, deputies found skeletal remains buried in a shallow grave on the property. Texas County Coroner Brent Honeycutt responded, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control helped recover the remains. Authorities initially said the findings were consistent with Ceasar Asbury, who had been reported by the suspects as a possible runaway. The St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office later used dental comparison to confirm the remains were his, officials said.
The Texas County grand jury indictment alleges Ceasar Asbury died on or about May 25, 2022, as a result of child abuse or neglect. It also alleges his body was abandoned from that date until March 10, 2026, when deputies searched the Lundy Road property. Court records cited in local reports describe other alleged victims as children now listed as 16, 14, 12, 8 and 6 years old. Prosecutors allege abuse, neglect, lack of nutrition, poor housing and lack of emotional development and support over periods running from November 2023 to March 2026. Authorities have not released a final cause of death or a full public account of what led investigators to the property beyond the missing person case.
The charges against both defendants include second-degree murder, abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death, abandonment of a corpse, three counts of first-degree domestic assault and eight counts of abuse or neglect of a child. Earlier in the case, both had been charged with five counts of child abuse and held on $100,000 cash-only bonds. The new indictment followed the identification of the remains and additional evidence presented to Texas County Prosecuting Attorney Parke Stevens. The charges are accusations. Chaun Asbury and Tamla Asbury are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The investigation brought several agencies to the rural property. The Texas County Special Response Team served the warrant, with deputies and officers from the Houston and Licking police departments involved in the operation. Houston police provided supplies and equipment. The Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division assisted with placement for the juveniles removed from the home. Lindsey said the case was a tragedy for “the life that was lost” and for the other children affected. He had said in March that more charges were expected as investigators reviewed the remains, the condition of the home and the accounts of the surviving children.
The next public step is in Texas County court. Chaun Asbury is scheduled for arraignment at 1 p.m. May 12 at the Texas County Justice Center. Tamla Asbury is scheduled to appear at 9 a.m. the same day. Prosecutors will have to support the murder count, the child abuse counts, the domestic assault allegations and the corpse abandonment charge with evidence. Defense proceedings are expected to focus on the search, medical findings, witness statements and the timeline prosecutors allege. As of May 11, both defendants remained jailed without bond, and the surviving children were no longer at the Lundy Road property.
Author note: Last updated May 11, 2026.