On July 16, 2021, 81-year-old William Curtis Steffen was found unresponsive on the back porch of his farmhouse near La Belle, Missouri, by a propane delivery driver. The Lewis County Coroner, Larry Arnold, determined Steffen had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office classified the death as a homicide.

Steffen, known to friends and neighbors as Bill, was a retired Hunt Oil executive, a U.S. Army veteran who served as a helicopter crew chief, and an active member of his local church where he served as a deacon and elder. He was married to Helen Lee for over six decades and was described by family as a devoted family man with deep roots in the La Belle area.

The investigation indicated Steffen had been intentionally targeted, but the motive remained unclear and no suspects had been publicly named. The family offered a $5,000 reward for information. If anyone knew Bill, his routines, or saw anything near his property around July 16, 2021, please come forward with information.