Becci Dawn Sanders, 46, a lifetime Carthage resident who worked as a realtor and as postmaster in Reeds, was found dead at her High Street home in Sarcoxie on January 13, 2021. Deputies initially responded to a medical call; investigators later reclassified the scene as a homicide. Her gray 2015 Subaru Legacy was missing from the property and later recovered abandoned in Bowling Green, Kentucky, more than 400 miles from Sarcoxie.

Investigators identified 34-year-old Justin Chase Stevens of Cullman, Alabama, as a person of interest. Stevens reportedly arrived in the area around New Year’s after crashing his vehicle near Interstate 44 and was last seen fleeing into nearby woods. A warrant was issued for Stevens, who was described as armed and dangerous, and a multi-state search followed.

On January 31, 2021, law enforcement in Cullman County, Alabama, located Stevens deceased in a garage; reports indicated an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. No trial or conviction occurred. If anyone knew Becci, her routines, or saw the Subaru in January 2021, please come forward with information.