Jefferson City police are still investigating the child abduction and apparent murder-suicide involving Markell Beasley, who was taken by Demetrius Beasley this past weekend and found dead Tuesday at a home in Cape Girardeau.
Jefferson City police said they are working in cooperation with a number of state and federal law enforcement agencies on the case.
Demetrius, who had a St. Louis address, was not the biological father to the 6-year-old boy, nor was his name listed on the birth certificate, police say. The investigation to this point leads police to believe that Markell thought of Demetrius as a "father figure," but Demetrius had no legal right or custody to the child, officials said.
Markell was taken to St. Louis initially by two friends of Demetrius, one of whom was known to Markell's mother. It is believed that neither of the two men knew of Demetrius' plans to abduct the boy.
Jefferson City police received information Sunday that Markell's mother had allowed him to travel to St. Louis to be with Beasley's family for a holiday party, but no such party was held.
Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton told the Southeast Missourian the cause of death was gunshot wounds. The case appeared to be "a typical murder-suicide; nothing out of the ordinary," he said. Clifton said the murder weapon was a handgun, but he didn't know the caliber.
The bodies were sent to Mineral Area Regional Medical Center in Farmington for autopsies, and a preliminary report should be issued today, Clifton said.
He said it usually takes eight to 12 weeks to get a complete autopsy report back, including a toxicology screen.
Demetrius, who was charged with kidnapping Tuesday in the case and was also facing a first-degree child molestation charge from Jefferson County, had told family and friends he would not go back to prison since he already spent time for convictions for felony cases in Cape Girardeau and St. Francois counties.
He had also said Markell's mother would not see her child alive again.