Gerard Paul Marter Essner, 62, was found shot to death after he was reported missing on October 6, 2025. A lifelong farmer who worked Essner Farms with his son and a retired Sergeant First Class in the Army National Guard, Essner lived in the New Hamburg and Benton area of Mississippi County, Missouri. Family members raised the alarm when he did not return from his routine that day.

Officers located Essner’s body concealed under a tarp beneath a porch at 8101 County Road 408 in Bertrand, the residence of 36-year-old Nathan B. Peters. The discovery of the shooting sparked a standoff after Peters barricaded himself inside the home; the confrontation involved multiple agencies, including the Sikeston Department of Public Safety. During the exchange of gunfire an officer, Sikeston Public Safety Officer Henry Franklin, a tactical team member, was killed in the line of duty. The standoff ended the next morning, October 7, when Peters was found dead inside the residence from a gunshot wound.

Anyone who knew Gerard Essner, his movements on October 6, or who has information about the property at 8101 County Road 408 is asked to come forward.