Clay Waller's construction sites have been part of investigation, authorities say

The fact that Clay Waller works in construction has not been lost on law enforcement officers, who said Monday that his job sites have been a part of the investigation since his wife's disappearance more than two months ago.

While they wouldn't say where, the lead investigators said that they've considered that Jacque Sue Waller's remains may have been disposed of in cement.

"We've considered a lot of different possibilities, and that's just one of them," said Jackson police chief James Humphreys. "We don't have anything substantial to say for sure, but yeah, we've considered that."

Waller, who remained in custody Monday at the Cape Girardeau County Jail on unrelated stealing and harassment charges, is the only person who has been identified as a person of interest in his wife's June 1 disappearance.

No testing in any concrete pours has been done, Humphreys said, though he said there are different ways to do it, including ground-penetrating radar. Testing of that and other sorts is expensive, he said.

"But if we have to, we will do it or get what we need to do it," Humphreys said. "We don't have anything substantial enough to suggest we need to invest in something like that yet."

Clay Waller is the last person known to have seen Jacque Waller in the hours before her disappearance, a case that has since garnered national headlines, especially on cable television news programs. Jacque's family has made no secret that they believe their son-in-law is the one responsible for Jacque's disappearance.

That she was buried in cement has also been a bone-chilling thought for them, said Jacque's father, Stan Rawson. While he said he had no inside information on that, it would make sense to him if that happened.

"There's nothing that hasn't occurred to us," Rawson said. "But I would think that would be a perfect way, don't you? I've had my thoughts about that from the first."

Lt. David James of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department said they have looked at construction sites Waller had worked on. But Waller had worked on many such sites, James said, and nothing has pointed them to one specific site.

"There's a lot of construction sites and places where concrete has been poured," James said. "We know he was in the construction industry, and it's something we'd be keeping in mind."

They've also searched in at least a dozen bodies of water, James said, including the Mississippi River and the Diversion Channel.

In fact, Humphreys said they are interested in the partly decomposed body of a woman that was pulled Sunday night from the Mississippi River near Winfield, Mo. The woman has not been identified, but Humphreys said he contacted Lincoln County authorities and asked to be contacted when she was. Authorities there told him they suspected it was a woman who recently went missing there, Humphreys said.

While that body was found north of the area, Humphreys said barges or tows have been known to drag bodies upriver.

"We are in contact with them, and they are supposed to let us know once they identify the body," he said.

Meanwhile, Clay Waller remained incarcerated. Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle and Waller's lawyer, Scott Reynolds, said arraignment has been set for 9 a.m. Aug. 23 in front of Judge Scott Thomsen. Through his attorney, Waller recently requested a change of judge.

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Woodland Drive and North Neal Street, Jackson, MO