Michelle R. Harrelson, 47, was found dead at her home on East Mechanic Avenue in Independence, Missouri, on October 24, 2015. Her boyfriend became alarmed when he could not locate her in the late afternoon; during a search of the property he encountered Michelle’s 23-year-old son, Shane M. Harrelson, with blood on his shaking hands. The boyfriend then found Michelle’s body hidden in a brush pile and contacted her ex-husband, who called police.

Officers arriving shortly before 6:00 p.m. were directed to the brush pile. Investigators concluded Michelle had been shot, beaten with a wooden baseball bat and cut with a butcher knife. A bloody bat and a kitchen knife in plastic bags were recovered near the body, a cordless drill with blood, human hair and bone fragments was found inside the house, and spent 9mm shell casings were located both near the body and inside the residence.

Shane Harrelson was found in a detached garage using a tattoo gun to etch the word MOM on his leg; he initially ignored commands but was taken into custody. He reportedly gave incoherent answers in interviews and showed little emotion when shown crime-scene photos, saying only that he had kissed his mom goodbye the day before.

If anyone knew Michelle or saw activity at the East Mechanic Avenue residence around October 23–24, 2015, please share what was observed.