Teens charged in death of man found near cemetery

HARRISONVILLE, Mo. -- Two Missouri teenagers have been charged in the death of a 25-year-old man whose body was found last week near a western Missouri cemetery, Cass County authorities said Monday.

Mathew E. Volland, 18, of Raymore and Tyler J. Smallwood, 18, of Peculiar were charged Monday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the shooting death of Forrest Fuller, Cass County Prosecutor Teresa Hensley said.

A witness called authorities Wednesday to report a body near Wills Cemetery in rural Peculiar, which is about 30 miles south of Kansas City.

Both suspects were being held on $500,000 cash bond. Volland was in custody Monday at the Cass County Jail. Smallwood was awaiting extradition from Dodge City, Kansas, where he's being held. Online court records don't list lawyers for either Volland or Smallwood.

Authorities said the victim was shot from a vehicle, according to a probable-cause statement.

Investigators said they contacted a person who the victim called shortly before he was killed, and found that person "closely associates" with Volland, who drives a vehicle matching a witness' description. Authorities also recovered the weapon from a site where a 16-year-old girl told them it was buried, according to the probable-cause statement.