Author: KMIZ

Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former basketball prospect for the University of Missouri who was accused of raping a woman during a September 2024 campus visit is now being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Kansas City.

Keiner Asprilla was charged in Boone County last year as an adult with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and second-degree kidnapping. Asprilla’s attorney Adam Dowling told ABC 17 News that those charges were dropped on Jan. 21 because of alleged inconsistencies with the victim’s statement.

Asprilla is from Colombia and was attending St. Peter’s Prep in New Jersey with a visa, according to Dowling.

When Asprilla was brought to the Boone County Jail, ICE placed an immigration hold on him, according to court documents. The hold was one reason he was denied bond in April 2025.

According to the ICE website, detainers are issued for immigrants that ICE agents believe can be removed from the country, usually because of criminal convictions or because the person is believed to be a threat to public safety or national security.

However, Asprilla’s charges have been dropped, and the case has been dismissed.

The Boone County Jail would have held Asprilla up to 48 hours while waiting on ICE agents to pick him up, according to ICE. Dowling told ABC 17 News that Asprilla is being held in Kansas City.

“I’m very hopeful for Keiner, with regard to the immigration case that is now ongoing in Kansas City. I’m hopeful that he will be exonerated there, be returned to his prior status with his visa,” Dowling said. “I’m very hopeful that he will be allowed to stay here in the United States and continue his education and continue to play basketball.”

Check back for updates.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three more witnesses took the stand Thursday morning as the manslaughter trial against an unlicensed Boone County daycare owner continues.

Columbia Police Detective Brian Graff noted three inconsistent statements given by Sarah Brown following the death and discovery of Ayla Gibson in her care. Brown is charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter.

“She found Ayla about 15 minutes later after laying her down. Still swaddled, still on her back or on that 45 degree angle,” Graff said. “Statement number two aws she found her about 15 to 20 minutes later, but she was on her face.”

Brown is alleged to have put Gibson–who was 3-months-old at the time– in a crib at her daycare in north Columbia with a loose, unfitted blanket and pillow in a position that resulted in death by suffocation, court documents say. Documents also claim the baby had a viral lung infection and that Brown ignored parent instructions to have her sleep on her back.

Brown’s first two statements were to other officers, Graff took her third statement.

“She found Ayla approximately one hour later, but she was also on her face,” Graff said regarding statement No. 3.

The court was shown body camera footage of the encounter where Brown told Graff that Gibson was dropped off in her car at 6:30 a.m. May 25, 2023. Brown said she put Gibson down for a nap at 7:30 a.m. By 8:30 a.m. Brown said she noticed Gibson had not woken up, but since she knew Gibson was sick she decided to make a bottle and let her sleep a bit longer.

Brown told Graff she initially gave inconsistent statements to officers as to how she found Ayla because she was scared.

Brown alleged it was just after 8:30 a.m. that she found Gibson when she went to wake her up and feed her the bottle. She told Graff that within seconds, she realized something was wrong and attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation attempts before calling 911. However Graff noted the 911 call was not made until 9:58 a.m. leading him to later take a fourth statement from her.

In Brown’s fourth statement about what happened, she spoke with Graff again the day after Gibson’s death.

Body camera footage of the interview shown in court shows Brown telling Graff that she found Gibson around 9:30 a.m. When he asked her about the time discrepancy she explained she looked at her call logs and saw she called 911 closer to 10 a.m. so she must have found Gibson around 9:30 a.m.

Prosecutors also noted differing statements from Brown about the number of children in her care. Graff explained that she told officers on scene she was caring for seven children, then in Brown’s interview with Graff for her fourth statement she said she was caring for nine. Graff testified that officers accounted for 12 children in Brown’s care.

Missouri law requires that anyone caring for more than six children be licensed. Brown did not have a license for her daycare.

Brown faces three-to-10 years in prison, if found guilty.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former Pettis County deputy who shot and killed a 25-year-old Sedalia woman in June 2020 was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday for charges related to child pornography.

Jordan Schutte, 40, of Sedalia, was indicted by a Pettis County grand jury for child porn possession and first-degree promoting child porn. He is being held at the Miller County Jail on a $75,000 bond. His next court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says law enforcement received a CyberTip on Aug. 12, 2025, about child porn being uploaded to a SnapChat account. The account’s phone number matched Schutte’s and the phone number was verified for the account by SnapChat in 2022, the statement says.

The statement says Schutte allegedly posted child porn to his “private” SnapChat story.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No one was injured after a fire on Wednesday damaged a Boone County home and garage, according to the Boone County Fire Protection District.

A garage caught fire in the 7500 block of South Hill Creek Road in Boone County, just south of Columbia. The cause is under investigation and the homeowner was able to safely get his pets out of the home while calling for first responders, according to a social media post from BCFPD.

Firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading to the living areas of the home.

“Firefighters identified extension into the attic space on the second story and completed several hours of salvage and overhaul, removing ceiling and insulation to ensure the fire had not spread further,” the post says.

The road was shut down while first responders worked.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two men were seriously hurt after a crash just after 4 p.m., in Montgomery County Wednesday, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

The report states, a 28-year-old St. Clair man was driving 2015 Toyota Tundra south on Highway 19 south of Loutre Bend Road with a 60-year-old Owensville man. The driver failed to navigate a curve, went off the right side of the road into an embankment and hit several trees before coming to a stop.

The Owensville man was thrown from the truck and was taken to University Hospital by ambulance with serious injuries. The St. Clair man also suffered serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital in Washington, Mo.

Neither men were wearing seatbelts. The Toyota was totaled.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Montgomery County community members will host a town hall meeting Thursday regarding a proposed 5,000-acre mega site for two data centers.

The meeting aims to address the significant environmental concerns surrounding the data centers and will take place at 7 p.m. at Montgomery County High School.

The proposed site, confirmed by the Montgomery County Commission, is located near the I-70 and Highway 19 interchange. Earlier this month, the Commission announced its approval of a tax break for the Green Amazon data center project, which has intensified community discussions about the project’s implications.

The town hall meeting will give people an opportunity to listen to research conducted by environmental geologists and community members. This forum aims to create a platform for public discussion amid rising concerns regarding the environmental impact of the proposed data centers.

Concerns among the community have been escalating, particularly since a December meeting at Montgomery City Elementary School, where hundreds expressed frustration over a perceived lack of information and called for a pause on both the Amazon and Spade Property projects. Residents are eager for greater transparency and detailed information about the plans and potential ramifications.

Amazon plans to construct a 1,000-acre facility that will begin with four buildings, with the potential for the campus to expand to 13 buildings. Another data center will be the New York-based Spade Property, which seeks to develop approximately 850 acres, including three primary buildings, a security guard station and a visitor center.

Large data centers, such as those proposed, have significant resource demands, often equivalent to the energy and water usage of around 100,000 homes. This raises environmental considerations, including water use and utility pressures that could affect the local community.

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Ryan Shiner

BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A garage of a home caught fire on Wednesday in the 7500 block of South Hill Creek Road in Boone County, just south of Columbia.

Dispatch logs show the Boone County Fire Protection District was called at 4:36 p.m.

An ABC 17 News photographer saw six firetrucks and 10 response vehicles on the scene. White smoke and damage to roof shingles was observed.

South Hill Creek Road was closed off by first responders.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A second victim of Tuesday’s fire at an individualized supported living facility in Fayette has been identified.

Three people were killed in the fire that engulfed the building on Villers Drive behind Perkins Residential Care Center on Main Street in Fayette on Tuesday morning. On Tuesday, the family of Marcia Lyon, 63, had identified her hours after the fire occurred. Lyon was an employee at the facility.

Donnie Bittle was identified on Wednesday as another victim in the fire by his niece Kayla More.

“He was full of life and laughter. He loved fishing and being around people. When he was younger, he was on the fire department. One of his favorite things in life. He had a laugh and smile that was contagious. He will be truly missed,” More said in a statement provided to ABC 17 News.

Bittle was part of Day Programs in Glasgow, which works with people with developmental disabilities.

Lyon’s daughter, Jenna Cassat, said her mother worked at the facility on weekends for roughly two decades while delivering mail in Columbia as her full-time job during the week. Cassat said Lyon loved helping people.

“She was always nice and caring and loved kids,” Cassat told ABC 17 News. “She never met a stranger, loved being outside with the grandkids. She was always doing something for somebody.”

ABC 17 News is still working to confirm the name of the third victim.

Mike O’Connell with the Missouri Department of Public Safety on Wednesday said the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

O’Connell added the severity of the blaze and the extensive damage prevented investigators from making a factual determination at this time. However, investigators did observe several space heaters throughout the remains of the facility.

The individualized supported living facility that burned was located on the same property as Perkins Residential Care Center, which did not sustain any fire damage. ISL facilities are designed to help people with intellectual or developmental disabilities live independently or with others in a home-like setting.

According to the Missouri Department of Mental Health, the Perkins home had two bedrooms on each floor, with four people living there, two on each level. DMH said the displaced residents have since been moved to a new group home.

Fayette Co-Fire Chief Steven Morrow told ABC 17 News that six people were initially trapped inside the home.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man from Montgomery County was charged with nine child sex crimes after authorities claim he sexually abused two children for several years.

Joshua Stone, 40, of Montgomery City, was charged on Wednesday in Cole County with two counts of first-degree statutory rape, two counts of statutory sodomy, two counts of first-degree child molestation, one count of child enticement and two counts of incest. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says the Department of Family Services had tipped off police on Dec. 5 about Stone committing possible sexual abuse against multiple youth. Both children were younger than 12 years old when they were abused, the statement says.

One of the children had disclosed to a guardian about the abuse, the guardian then told the mother of the child, who claimed one of the victims previously described an instance of sex abuse by Stone, the statement says.

One of the youth described multiple assaults by Stone, while another victim described the assaults and claimed Stone made threats toward them to prevent them from telling anyone about the abuse, the statement says.

Stone was arrested on Tuesday and denied the allegations, court documents say. A deputy noted in the statement that Stone tried to “redirect the conversation to matters not pertaining to the allegations.”

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