TEXAS CO, Mo. (KY3) – A missing person report led Texas County sheriff’s deputies to a rural property this week where three children were rescued, and skeletal remains were found, according to Chief Deputy Rowdy Douglas.
What started the investigation
The investigation began when a family member from out of state called to report the oldest son missing. That call directed the sheriff’s office to a home off a dirt road in a rural area of the county.
What deputies found
When deputies arrived, Chaun Asbury attempted to flee but was caught and arrested along with his wife, Tamala Asbury. Deputies then located three children on the property.
“Once we got everybody detained and the children secured, that’s when we started noticing there were some major health concerns with the little ones,” Douglas said.
One child was found locked in a shed, bound to a bed with zip ties. Douglas said that the child was starving.
Children’s condition and custody
All three children have been placed in protective custody with the children’s division and have received medical care. As of the latest update, one child remained hospitalized.
“All three children have been placed in protective custody with the children’s division, and they’ve all had medical care. At this point right now, there is one who is still hospitalized. She’s doing better,” Douglas said.
Douglas said the recovery process will take time.
“It’s gonna be a lengthy process. They’ve definitely got some physical and emotional obstacles they have to overcome,” he said.
Skeletal remains discovered
Deputies also searched the property for the missing teenager, identified as Caesar Asbury. A deputy located skeletal remains in a second area of the property after an initial search came up empty.
“One of our deputies went to an area that he thought could be after we had already searched one area and found it,” Douglas said.
The remains have not been formally identified, but Douglas said investigators are confident they belong to Caesar Asbury.
Charges and bond
Chaun Asbury and Tamala Asbury each face five counts of child abuse. Both are being held on $100,000 cash bonds.
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