Third Individual Linked to Barry County Murder and Cover-Up

In a darkness-shrouded twist of events from somewhere in Barry County, Missouri, a third suspect is now indicted in the horrific murder of Marvin Lance McCullough. Law enforcement officials revealed that Nathan Bates, a 38-year-old male, is the newest to be indicted in relation to the crime that already landed two others in jail. Bates is also charged with tampering with evidence in a felony crime and abandoning a firearm, the Barry County Sheriff’s Office reported. The news coming out of the investigation is chilling.

According to the court documents, Bates had some involvement in the cover-up of the crime, and indirectly responsible for the actual murder. Specifically, he is charged with assisting in concealing the body of McCullough once the victim had died. Although the filings are not descriptive enough on his involvement towards the crime that was committed, it is apparent that he was an enabler of criminal concealment. The intrigue persisted last week in February when Marvin Lance McCullough, an Aurora man, was killed in a shooting accident. The authorities are confident that on March 11, Coburn, a 38-year-old woman, murdered McCullough’s head. Coburn is charged with then desecrating the body and destroying crime evidence by incinerating the McCullough truck at the orders of Jimmy Taylor, a 46-year-old man.

Taylor and Coburn were apprehended on the scene and are both being held in custody at the Barry County Jail.

With Bates incarcerated as well, things become somewhat more intriguing. In their alleged probable cause statement they’ve put together, the Barry County Sheriff’s Office says that Bates acknowledged assisting in getting McCullough’s body out of a camper and into a car trunk. That car, which was found burned on Farm Road 1170 in Verona, was a key component in the case. The vehicle, which was set on fire, was discovered by police on March 20. This is believed to be one of a series of attempts at burning evidence and misleading detectives by the suspects. The vehicle, which was burned, had brought the authorities to the attention, which led them back to Coburn, Taylor, and now Bates.

Bates was officially charged after his participation became public knowledge during the investigation process. What he supposedly did was not firing the gun, what he did was ordering the hiding of heinous crime, and for that, there is minimal sympathy from the law. He is currently detained at the Barry County Jail on $100,000 bond for his actions.

This case has rocked the nation, not just because of the crime itself, but also because of the manner by which it was committed. From the act of murder itself up to its attempt at cover-ups, the entire sequence of events points to the extent of planning and coordination done by the accused. Bates’s participation, in particular, reflects how even things done after the murder can lead to serious legal repercussions.

And even as detectives continued to attempt piecing the puzzle together, they were still amazed by Barry County residents.

The Barry County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement were not slow on the uptake regarding what has proven to be a multi-suspect case with attempts at obstruction of justice in very quick succession. All the stakeholders in their operations have been kept on their toes by the rapid response of the Barry County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies so far. Taylor and Coburn have even more serious charges squarely in the dock for the murder of McCullough. The actual shooter Coburn is right in the middle of it. Taylor, his role in taking the body off and helping to burn the truck, has landed him serious charges too. Putting Bates into the mix to join them behind bars will be up to the court to decide the three of their fates.

The investigation continues, and more information may be released as the case makes its way through the courts. One thing that is sure at this time, however, is that justice is being served. McCullough died in a senseless and tragic manner, but the response of law enforcement has ensured that such a crime will not be swept under the rug or go unpunished.

The three of them now proceed to the courts to settle the case with the urgency it deserves. The role played by each of them in this ghastly act is being investigated in seriousness, and they are being brought to book at every level. All the three of them, Jimmy Taylor, Nathan Bates, and Brandy Coburn, are now in police custody, waiting for the day when they will be produced before the court.

It’s a sad picture of the rapidity and complexity with which an act of violence can be mired in a series of crime. From murder to cover-up, and now against various participants in multiple counts, the case of the Barry County murder is riveting southwest Missouri – and, in fact, quite well beyond that.