Police arrest wife and son in Ellsinore man's slaying

Daily American Republic

ELLSINORE, Mo. -- The wife and a son of hunter fatally shot over the weekend were arrested Thursday night in connection with his death.

Denise E. Hanna, 47, of Ellsinore and Shawn Curtis Hanna, 26, of Poplar Bluff were in jail Friday morning pending formal charges.

Ralph Hanna, 56, was returning home from a morning hunting trip when he was shot in the back yard of his Ellsinore home. An autopsy showed he died instantly from a a high-velocity bullet wound in his chest.

Shawn Hanna was booked at the Carter County Jail. Denise Hanna was taken to the Reynolds County Jail.

Sgt. Larry Plunkett of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said the details surrounding the death are not yet being released.

"The exact circumstances surrounding the death are still under investigation and are considered evidence," Plunkett said.

The motive for Ralph Hanna's killing is also still under investigation, he said.

The highway patrol was brought into the investigation Monday at the request of Carter County Sheriff Greg Melton.

During the investigation, officers conducted an extensive search of the area, Plunkett said. The search included use of a canine unit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The dogs are trained to sniff out explosives, ammunition and spent shell casings. Plunkett said the dogs did "reveal some new evidence" that was missed in the first search.

Investigators also used the highway patrol's laser trajectory kit. By calculating angles and trajectories, police can narrow the possibilities of where a shooter might have positioned.