Man charged in Branson cold case 30 years later. '92 incident left woman in months-long coma
A man has finally been charged in what was a cold case for the past 30 years.
Two Texas women were on vacation in Branson when they went for a hike at Henning State Park Aug. 14, 1992. The pair were assaulted by a man who was unable to be located after one victim managed to escape and found help from a passing motorist.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike McClure remembered the "terrifying" incident — he was in college and about to enter the force — and offered more details surrounding the incident and what went into bringing charges against 61-year-old Tony Lee Wagner, of Fort Scott, Kansas.
Assault left both women injured
The two women, who remain unnamed, were approached by a man at the start of their hike, McClure told the News-Leader. The man was allegedly Wagner.
"It had something to do with a lost wallet or a lost item, and he was asking if they'd seen it," McClure said.
The women continued their walk and passed the man again. At that second interaction, the man started attacking them.
"He had a rock in his hand and he began to assault both of them with the rock," the sergeant said.
One victim was "rendered incapacitated" while the other "played dead," McClure said. The man took the unconscious woman to another location, and the other was able to escape. She ran to the parking lot and flagged down a passing motorist.
The authorities were contacted and the search was on. A helicopter spotted the first victim, but the man was nowhere to be found.
Both victims were taken to a Springfield hospital. One had sustained such severe injuries that she was in a "coma for several months," McClure said.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol and Taney County Sheriff's Department launched a joint investigation; however, no suspects were identified during the initial investigation, and the case went cold.
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Missouri State Highway Patrol got a lead that ended up in Fort Scott.
"It was a difficult thing to determine, based on only the descriptive evidence that we had from years and years ago," McClure said.
Fort Scott Police Department gathered DNA evidence from Wagner, and it was tested by Parabon Nanolabs. Advances in forensic science technology helped identify Wagner as a suspect.
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The Taney County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Wagner with two counts of first-degree assault, kidnapping and forcible rape Tuesday. Fort Scott Police officers arrested Wagner, and he is being held without bond in the Bourbon County, Kansas, jail pending extradition to Missouri.
Sexual assault evidence not tested for 16 years
Evidence gathered from one victim showed signs of sexual assault; however, her kit was not tested until 2008 — 16 years after the incident.
"It wasn't until 2008 that the original evidence taken from her room at the hospital was examined at the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab where particulate evidence from him — DNA — created a suspect profile but we didn't have a match for it because the case was cold," McClure said.
The time it took to actually test the kit reflects a problem happening across the country, McClure said.
"There's been an age-old, nationwide problem with a backlog of evidence kits pertinent to sexual assault cases," McClure said.
The victims have been notified
While the women remaining unnamed, McClure said they were notified of Wagner being charged.
"This is all about someone being held accountable for the victims," McClure said. "It's not about us, we're a tool."
Despite three decades passing, law enforcement consider it an honor to get this case reopened, McClure said.
"We don't give up on the cases," he said. "They're still in our minds. They may be in a file cabinet some place, but they're still in our minds."
Sgt. Shawn Griggs with the highway patrol said this case is an example of local, state and out-of-state agencies working together to solve a case. Griggs said the Taney County Sheriff's Office never gave up on this case and contributed lots of resources, including paying for the DNA testing.
Sara Karnes is an Outdoors Reporter with the Springfield News-Leader. Follow along with her adventures on Twitter and Instagram @Sara_Karnes. Got a story to tell? Email her at skarnes@springfi.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Man charged in Branson cold case 30 years later
