The St. Louis-Dispatch has reported that Frank Ancona was shot in the head by his stepson Paul Edward Jinkerson Jr., 24, while he was sleeping. Jinkerson, as well as his wife Malissa Ancona, 44, have both also been charged with tampering with physical evidence and abandonment of a corpse.
— Russell Kinsaul (@russellkinsaul) February 13, 2017
The Dispatch reports:
“Jinkerson shot Frank Ancona, 51, on Thursday in his bedroom while he was asleep, St. Francois County Sheriff's Det. Matt Wampler wrote in the probable cause statement. Ancona's body was then taken in Jinkerson's vehicle to an area near Belgrade, Mo., where it was dumped, Wampler wrote.”
Ancona was reported missing by his employer on Friday. When questioned by officers, his wife told police that her husband had been sent across the state to deliver a part by his job, and had not been home since Wednesday — but his workplace told police that they had not sent him anywhere.
— KMOV (@KMOV) February 13, 2017
"On Friday the Washington County Sheriff's Office learned of the disappearance of Frank Ancona, who was missing from Leadwood, Missouri. During this time, we were also informed Mr. Ancona's vehicle had been located by a United States Federal Forest Service employee on Federal Forest Service property," a statement posted to Facebook by Washington County Sheriff Zach Jacobsen states.
As the evening came, and law enforcement lost the help of daylight to search for Arcona, officers secured the scene and returned the following morning.
Leadwood Police Chief William Dickey told the Daily Journal Online that on Saturday morning officers had found a safe “that looked like somebody had taken a crowbar to it and also beat the side out of,” at the home where Malissa and her son were. The chief told the newspaper that he did not believe that it was part of a robbery, though everything was missing from inside.
Dickey also noted that all of Arcona’s firearms were missing from the home, and that his wife claimed he took them with him. The one gun that Arcona reportedly carried every day was the only one left at the home.
— Dab Aggin (@DabAggin) February 12, 2017
“On Saturday, I requested assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol due to the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Mr. Ancona,” Jacobsen’s statement on Facebook continued.
Later that day, Arcona’s body was discovered by a family who was out fishing.
“It was not self inflicted,” Washington County coroner Brian DeClue told the Kansas City Star said of the gunshot wound.
While searching the Ancona home, police found “extensive blood evidence” in the master bedroom. Malissa Ancona later confessed that her son had shot her husband, and that she had tried to help cover up the murder.
Jinkerson’s lawyer in an unrelated theft and property damage case, Eric Barnhart, has stated that he does not believe his client was involved in any hate groups. It is unclear if he will also be representing him in the murder case.
