Authorities say a man has admitted killing a 6-year-old boy early Thursday morning outside of Fulton.
Scottie A. Willet, 27, is facing charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of the boy, Dayne Hathman. Willet is being held on a $1 million cash bond.
Authorities arrested Willet early Thursday morning and found a Hi-point .40 caliber handgun on him. Hathman had been shot several times.
Willet was a friend of Hathman's family. He had been staying at the home of the boy's mother, Ladaynea Simpson, since January, Callaway County Sheriff Dennis Crane said at a press conference, adding there is no romantic relationship between Willet and Simpson. Willet previously lived in Columbia and Sedalia.
The sheriff said Willet was babysitting Hathman overnight while Simpson was at work. She left the home around 4 p.m. and returned home at about 2:30 a.m.
When she arrived home, Simpson believed her child was missing. Willet was still at the residence.
She called her mother, the child's grandmother, who lived next door, to inform her of his disappearance. The grandmother called authorities at 2:39 a.m.
When Willet learned police and emergency personnel were on their way, he fled the home and drove off in the mother's car, Crane said.
Law enforcement began searching for the suspect, checking conservation and forestry areas including the Little Dixie Lake Conservation Area.
Officers later found the boy at 4:21 a.m. inside Simpson's home in Willet's room.
Hathman had suffered from multiple gun shots, Crane said. He was covered and not easily identifiable by police. Crane said Willet made an "effort to conceal" the child from view.
Because of this, it took police about an hour and 35 minutes to discover the boy. Crane said police originally believed they were searching for a child with Down syndrome who had wondered off from home.
Authorities told the Sedalia Democrat that Willet was located through a cell phone "ping."
According to Sedalia Police, Willet was caught at 6:38 a.m. Thursday in a trailer park located on South Grand Avenue. Crane later described it as a female acquaintance's home.
Sedalia Police Officer Kyle Haywood said officers knocked on the door and Willet was on the phone. He came outside and was arrested on a Pettis County warrant for littering.
"He was kind of verbally negative to us, but no physical altercation took place," Haywood said.
Authorities found a handgun in the vehicle. Crane said it's unclear if the handgun was stolen, but it was not stolen from Callaway County.
Willet has pleaded guilty on several misdemeanor charges of stealing as well as second-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, according to online court records.
Hathman was a kindergarten student at McIntire Elementary School, according to Fulton Public Schools Superintendent Jacque Cowherd.
School officials were notified early Thursday morning and met with administrators and staff before students arrived. Additional counselors and administrators were in the building throughout the day and will be again today.
Cowherd said a letter was sent home with students after school Thursday. He added that because of the age of the children, "we're going to let parents handle it" rather than directly addressing the issue with students.
"It's been a day of grieving throughout the district," Cowherd said, noting the boy had previously been at a different building. "We're trying to support everyone the best we can."
Lynn Wohlers of Fulton is one of Simpson's neighbors, and remembered Hathman Thursday.
"He was a real cutie," Wohlers said. "Lovable, and (he) smiled a lot ... He was an adorable little guy."
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