Coroner's jury to be called in Carter County shooting death

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- A coroner's jury will be convened to look into the circumstances of the weekend death of a Carter County man who was shot and killed in his Eastwood-area home.

The Carter County Sheriff's Department received a call at about 1:35 a.m. Friday from a woman near Eastwood requesting an ambulance for a family member, Sheriff Rick Stephens said earlier.

Deputies, along with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, reportedly responded to the scene and determined Mark Rutter, 43, was dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

The sheriff's department, with help from Troop G's Division of Drug and Crime Control, is investigating Rutter's death.

"We've done four formal interviews, and then we have, of course, been looking at the forensic evidence and the evidence that was on scene and so forth," Stephens said.

Investigators have spoken with a suspect or person of interest.

"He was taken into custody following the interview and looking at the evidence. He was released pending the rest of the investigation," Stephens said.

On Wednesday, Carter County Coroner Erik McSpadden told Stephens he intended to convene a coroner's jury to look into Rutter's death.

"Between the investigators and myself, [it was decided an inquest was] the best course of action" given the circumstances surrounding Rutter's death, McSpadden said.

Everyone is working in coordination to make sure the facts of the case are revealed and the best course of action is taken, he said.

No date is set for the inquest.

Stephens said officers also have been consulting with the prosecuting attorney throughout the process.

No autopsy was conducted on Rutter, but samples were taken for analysis, including toxicology, McSpadden said.

No further details about Rutter's death will be released until after the inquest.

Pertinent address:

Van Buren, Mo.