A southeast Missouri man is facing first-degree murder charges after he allegedly confessed to killing his father using a fishing gig, a long, multi-pronged spear typically used to catch fish, before stealing his truck and fleeing the scene.
The investigation began Monday when officers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control were called to look into the suspicious death of Robert D. Manns, 71, of Naylor, Missouri. It was Robert’s sister who first discovered something was wrong, finding his body at his home and noticing that his truck was nowhere to be found.
Investigators quickly traced the missing vehicle to a property in Poplar Bluff, where they also located the victim’s son, Dustin D. Manns, 44, of Broseley. Investigators brought him in for questioning about his father’s death and placed him under arrest following the interview.
According to court documents, Dustin Manns admitted to a harrowing sequence of violence. Investigators say he confessed to stabbing his father with a fishing gig, striking him across the chest with the handle, and then choking him until he died. The fishing gig was subsequently recovered at the scene.
On Tuesday, the Ripley County Prosecuting Attorney filed a series of charges against Dustin Manns: first-degree murder, abandonment of a corpse, and motor vehicle theft. He is currently being held without bond.
The case has taken an additional legal turn, with prosecutors filing a motion on Wednesday morning requesting that Manns undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation. Officials want to determine whether he has any underlying mental health conditions and, critically, whether he fully understands the nature of the charges being brought against him a standard legal procedure in cases where mental competency may be a factor at trial.
The brutal nature of the alleged killing, combined with the subsequent theft of the victim’s truck, has drawn significant attention in the region. Authorities have not publicly disclosed any known motive for the attack, and the investigation remains ongoing as prosecutors prepare to build their case ahead of what is likely to be a closely watched trial.
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