Body found that of missing Osage Beach man

HILLSBORO, Mo. -- A body found in a shallow grave south of St. Louis is that of a mid-Missouri man missing since December, Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer said Tuesday.

The body of John R. Slayton, 64, was found late Sunday near Valles Mines, about 40 miles south of St. Louis. Slayton, of Osage Beach, was reported missing Dec. 12. A 16-year-old, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, was detained for second-degree murder and armed criminal action.

An autopsy conducted Monday determined the identity of the victim.

The cause of death has not been released.

Slayton's body was found in a wooded area near Missouri 67 and Highway V, near the St. Francois County line. The decomposed remains were found wrapped in plastic. Boyer said officers were acting on a tip and had to use all-terrain vehicles to get to the grave site.

Slayton, an independent jewelry dealer, hadn't been heard from since Dec. 10, when he called his wife by cell phone from the St. Louis area. Police said Slayton had made several stops at pawn shops and stores along St. Charles Rock Road in north St. Louis County on Dec. 10.

Police found Slayton's 2003 Ford Expedition Dec. 13 parked in the lot of an apartment complex in south St. Louis County. A search determined that some jewelry was missing, but police said there was no evidence of a struggle.