Progress in Millersburg homicide investigation slow, but continues

Three months after her body was found in her home, the investigation into the murder of local resident Deborah A. Bates still continues at a steady - if slow - pace.

"It's very much on our radar. We're still working on it," Callaway County Sheriff Dennis Crane said Friday. "It's an open case and we still are actively following any leads we get."

Bates, 54, was reported dead on Sept. 8 by roommate Bryan Wiser. Wiser said the victim was asleep inside when he had left the mobile home he and Bates shared for work at approximately 5:30 a.m., and that when he returned at 6:44 p.m. he found her unresponsive and called 911. Crane said Wiser has been cooperative with authorities.

Although the Mid-Missouri Major Case Squad was called in for the first five days of the investigation, the squad disbanded once all of the initial leads ran out, and the case has been handled by the sheriff's department since then.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.