Authorities said Joey Lee Skaggs was arrested after his 72-year-old mother was found fatally shot in the Lake Hanna community.
IRONTON, Mo. — A 54-year-old Missouri man has been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action after authorities said his mother was fatally shot while sitting in a recliner at her home in St. Francois County.
Joey Lee Skaggs was taken into custody Saturday, Oct. 31, after deputies responded to the Lake Hanna Development near Ironton and found his 72-year-old mother critically wounded, according to the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office and accounts of a probable cause statement. First responders provided medical treatment, but the woman died at the scene. Authorities had not publicly identified her by name in the reports available Tuesday.
Deputies were called to the 500 block of Fawn Drive at about 5:23 p.m. for what the sheriff’s office described as an unknown problem. Investigators initially found the woman with apparent head trauma and later determined that she had suffered a gunshot wound. Authorities said officers had received a description of a person seen leaving the residence and began looking for that person as other deputies responded to the home.
Before reaching Fawn Drive, officers had seen a man matching the description walking east along Highway 221 west of Doe Run, authorities said. Deputies later located Skaggs and arrested him without incident. The sheriff’s office said Skaggs was the victim’s son and lived on the same property.
Investigators said Skaggs had been collecting scrap metal with his stepfather earlier that day. According to the probable cause statement cited by local news organizations, Skaggs later went into the residence where his mother and stepfather lived and obtained a loaded .22-caliber rifle from the kitchen area.
Skaggs told investigators that he could see his mother sitting in a living room recliner while she used a laptop, according to the probable cause statement. Authorities allege that he fired the rifle from behind her before leaving the residence on foot. Investigators said they recovered a .22-caliber rifle and a spent shell casing from inside the home.
Authorities have not announced a suspected motive or described a dispute that may have led to the shooting. The available reports also did not identify any other person as injured in the incident. The St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office said it was handling the investigation.
The St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Skaggs with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. The charges are allegations and do not establish guilt. Reports published Monday and Tuesday said Skaggs was being held without bond at the St. Francois County Adult Detention Center.
Skaggs had been scheduled for an initial court appearance Tuesday morning. No reliable report located by late Tuesday confirmed the outcome of that proceeding, and authorities had not released additional information about a possible motive or publicly identified the victim.
Author note: Last updated November 3, 2026.