Jefferson City police have been searching the local landfill the past several days in their investigation into the disappearance of Christopher Cray .
But a change has occurred.
Police issued a press release Tuesday afternoon saying, "Based on investigative efforts and information received over the course of this investigation along with further intelligence obtained over the past several days during our search of the Allied Waste landfill, the Jefferson City Police Department is currently ruling this investigation a homicide investigation until such time as we can gain evidence to the contrary.
The release went on to say ,"While we were initially and still some degree optimistic that we would find Mr. Cray safe, all evidence and testimony leads us to believe that those chances are increasingly slim."
The police department has been investigating Cray 's disappearance since May 20. Cray was last seen in the area of Schnucks supermarket, 1801 Missouri Blvd. His abandoned vehicle was recovered in Jefferson City on May 26.
Cray 's disappearance was considered suspicious because family members said Cray always kept in contact with them. Since his disappearance, Cray missed celebrating his own birthday and the birth of his child.
"We can confirm the information contained in the probable cause statements of Richard Love and Adam Moore-Duncan that both are directly related to this investigation as a homicide," the release went on to say. "We are continuing to interview persons with knowledge of the events surrounding Christopher Cray's disappearance, corroborating existing evidence and we will continue search the landfill site and staffing it 24 hours a day until further notice."
Authorities also confirmed that Moore-Duncan was arrested for tampering with evidence and abandonment of a corpse at the Allied Waste landfill.
"This is still an open investigation, and many details regarding this case will not be released until such time as to not jeopardize the status and closure of the case itself," said JCPD Capt. Doug Shoemaker.