Court documents from the Columbia Police Department (CPD) reveal how a murder suspect and the bodies of two missing Columbia women were discovered on May 23.
Randall Fox, 51, was arrested on Thursday, May 23, 2024, on suspicion of murdering Marcia Hess, 77, and her daughter Sara Fox, 50, near the 1700 block of Ridgemont Drive in Columbia.
The women were initially reported missing by a relative on May 18 after they hadn't been heard from for about two weeks.
The relative mentioned that both women's belongings, such as cell phones, wallets, medication, and other items, were left at home.
Hess and Sara Fox, along with Sara's juvenile child, were the permanent residents of the home.
Randall Fox, Sara's ex-husband, was reported to be staying there temporarily.
He told CPD that he went for a walk on May 8 at 8 a.m., and when he returned, the two women were gone.
A probable cause statement noted that Fox allowed officers to search the house, where they noted a bad smell coming from a closet in the basement.
Fox explained the odor as coming from dirty sleeping bags.
When CPD requested to check another closet in the basement, Fox said he could only open it slightly because items inside would fall out if the door was fully opened.
He opened the door about an inch before quickly closing it.
Officers then spoke with the juvenile, who said it was unusual for their grandmother and mother to be gone for so long without taking their vehicle.
On May 21, a family relative reported that on Mother's Day, the juvenile contacted them, asking about their mom and mentioning that Fox had claimed the foul smell in the house was from a soiled diaper.
That same Tuesday, officers spoke with the juvenile again, who said they had not spoken with their father, Fox, before going to school that day.
When they returned home, there was a freshly patched wall near the entryway, which was confusing as there had been no previous damage to that area.
CPD returned with a warrant to search the home and found two dead bodies in the same closet Randall had briefly opened during the prior search.
Both bodies had suffered traumatic injuries.
A chemical substance that reacts with blood showed traces of blood on the freshly patched wall near the front door.
Autopsies confirmed both women had been shot, with one receiving multiple gunshot wounds.
Several 9 mm shell casings were found near the front door, allegedly matching a handgun previously owned by Fox according to multiple witnesses.
Neighbors reported inconsistencies in Fox's statements about the women's whereabouts.
On May 23, CPD took Fox in for questioning, noting he had completely shaved his hair and beard, likely to change his appearance.
His account of the events on May 8 did not match the juvenile’s statements.
CPD also noted that the timeline of Fox's day did not align with other witness accounts.
Before his arrest, while discussing the women's whereabouts, Fox allegedly said he "didn't ask them where they were going and didn't know they were in the basement dead."
Court documents indicated that CPD did not disclose where the bodies were found during their questioning.
Fox was arrested and booked into Boone County Jail without bond, facing charges of two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, and tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution.
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