Nathan Dean Pritchett Jr., 29, was found dead on County Road 136 east of State Road JJ in Callaway County in the early morning of April 2, 2019. Law enforcement responded to reports of a disturbance south of Calwood around 2:41 a.m. and discovered Pritchett lying in the roadway with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.

Investigators say the shooting grew out of an illicit drug transaction involving methamphetamine and counterfeit currency. Three men — Justin Ray Witt, Joey Morris, and William Schoening-Scoggins — arranged to meet Pritchett to buy methamphetamine using fake bills. Morris entered Pritchett’s vehicle and handed over the counterfeit money; when Pritchett realized the cash was fake, an argument broke out. Morris ran back to the waiting vehicle, and Witt, armed with a 20-gauge shotgun, fired, striking Pritchett.

Deputies arrested the three suspects at locations in Fulton and recovered the shotgun hidden on Witt’s property along with evidence of the counterfeit money. All three were charged under Missouri’s felony-murder rule; Morris and Schoening-Scoggins later pleaded guilty and received 12-year sentences, and Witt was convicted at trial. Does anyone have information about Pritchett, the meeting that night, or the rural stretch of County Road 136?