Authorities have identified the man and boy found dead Monday night in Gasconade County.
Investigators have identified the child as 4-year-old Bentlee J. Turner and the man as 37-year-old Monty Jason Barton, according to Missouri Highway Patrol reports. Both resided in Belle.
Autopsies are scheduled for Thursday at University Hospital in Columbia.
The Belle Police Department notified the patrol at 8:13 p.m. Monday that Bentlee was missing. The child had reportedly been with Barton, who was described as a family friend, since Sunday morning.
At 11:30 p.m. Monday, officers located Barton's vehicle on Valentine Ford Road near Route A in Gasconade County. The bodies of the man and boy were found nearby.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.