Teen suspect in Patton shooting arrested, juvenile safe

BOLLINGER COUNTY, Mo. — A teen suspect in a Patton, Mo., murder and kidnapping was arrested this morning and a juvenile he allegedly abducted was safely recovered, according to Bollinger County sheriff-elect Leo McElrath.

Investigators located John W. Wilfong, 17, of Patton, and the male juvenile around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday at a house in Marble Hill, McElrath said.

They had spent the night there, staying with friends of their foster parents, he said.

When the residents saw the news on television Wednesday morning they realized that the boys staying at their house had been reported missing, and they notified police, McElrath said.

Wilfong has been arrested on suspicion of the shooting death of his foster mother and the kidnapping.

The arrest was based on statements Wilfong made during interviews with investigators, though the motive still is not entirely clear, McElrath said.

"We're still trying to figure out why this happened," McElrath said.

The Cape Girardeau County-Bollinger County Major case Squad was activated Tuesday night, after the shooting had been reported.

The woman's husband returned home from work Tuesday afternoon to find her dead in their Patton home.

She appeared to have died of a gunshot wound caused by a rifle.

The firearm was not found at the scene, but investigators learned its location on Wednesday and have made plans to recover it, McElrath said.

McElrath said he believed the two boys had been living with the victim and her husband for several years.

bdiscosmo@semissourian.com

388-3635