Independence remains are latest found by mushroom hunters
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — It is morel season once again. And with it, the continuation of an established pattern: A person goes into the woods looking for mushrooms, instead discovering human remains.
The most recent example happened Tuesday in Independence off the Rock Creek Trail – a wet area viewed as a potential prime search-spot for mushroom hunters.
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The area is basically residential with the remains found nearly in view of the public walking trail.
“You get back in here and it’s almost like being down at the lake or something,” Wess Heavner, a neighbor, said.
Heavner lives on the flood plain – two houses down from where the remains were found. He said his neighbor made the discovery: a skull below a group of trees.
“From what they told me there was no flesh or hair or anything on it,” Heavner said.
“He was just in there mushroom hunting. And he had some in a bag. So, yeah, he was mushroom hunting,” he said.
It’s not an uncommon occurrence – echoing discoveries like in 2023 when mushroom hunters found the remains in Daviess County – later identified as Skylar Ware.
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In 2017, mushroom hunter Keith Todd found human remains in Cass County, which were later identified as Jessica Runions and – discovered nearby – Kara Kopetsky. They were murder victims hidden by Kylr Yust – discovered by a forager who recounted the situation during Yust’s trial.
“What were you looking for?” prosecutors asked at the Cass County Courthouse in April 2021.
“I was looking for mushrooms,” Todd said.
“What did you find?” the prosecutor asked.
“What did I find?” Todd repeated.
“Correct,” the prosecutor responded.
“I found Cara and Jessie,” Todd said.
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The mushroom-discovery connections are not lost on neighbors in Independence.
“I think that happens all the time. Anywhere,” one neighbor said about mushroom hunters finding bodies. “And I’ve seen homeless people down there a number of times.”
“There’s a lot of transients that come and go back in there,” Heavner said.
“I’ve never even been back in there. I’ve been here 10 years and I had no reason to go back in there,” he said.
“It’s probably good for mushroom hunting, right?” FOX4’s Jacob Kittilstad asked.
“I would think, yeah. He had found mushrooms. Then he found something he didn’t want to. He was really upset over it,” Heavner said.
A spokesperson for Independence police said it could be some time before they are able to identify the remains because of their level of decomposition. Investigators are currently are not publicly sharing theories on a cause of death.
