Third person arrested in Pemiscot County, Mo., murder

PEMISCOT COUNTY, Mo. -- A third person has been charged in connection with the disappearance and death of Dary McIntyre, 35, of Hayti, Mo.

Tina Tawann Amerson, 28, of Steele, Mo., has been charged with assault in the first degree, armed criminal action, and tampering with physical evidence, according to Lt. Ryan Holder with the Pemiscot County Sheriff's office.

The charges came after Amerson confessed to investigators that she was responsible for a large cut around the now deceased McIntyre's neck area, including his throat.

According to investigators, an autopsy was performed Wednesday morning at the Mineral Area Hospital in Farmington, Mo., on McIntyre's body, which had been recovered from the flooded waters of the Mississippi River, just South of Caruthersville, Mo., at approximately 11:30 a.m., on Tuesday.

McIntyre was reported to have been missing on Sunday, when officials learned that his vehicle was reported to have been submerged in the Mississippi River.

Pemiscot County Sheriff Tommy Greenwell reported on Monday that information had developed regarding McIntyre's disappearance that turned the case from a missing person case to a criminal investigation.

The development was the discovery of evidence located in a dumpster at a business in Steele. By early Tuesday morning, investigators had three possible suspects and two of them confessed to their involvement, with the third, Tina Amerson, being later released.

The two suspects, Quinn Lee Amerson, 21, and Shannon Amerson, 23, both of Steele, were charged with one count of murder in the first degree, one count of felony stealing, and two counts of tampering with physical evidence.

However, during the recent autopsy, investigators learned that McIntyre suffered a large cut around his neck area and several superficial wounds around the facial and neck area, as well as blunt trauma to the head area. Once investigators learned more about the nature of McIntyre's death, they began to inquire further into the matter and began speaking to several witnesses who told them that there was a knife used by another suspect to cut McIntyre around his throat.

The other suspect was Tina Tawann Amerson, longtime girlfriend to McIntyre.

Amerson was charged and is expected to appear in court before Judge Byron Luber on Monday.