Quincy Herald Whig

Christopher Piersee, 24, of LaGrange, Mo., arrested for felony homicide after wife, infant son found dead in home

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A law enforcement official heads into the area around 409 N. Main in LaGrange, Mo., Tuesday afternoon, where a young woman and a six-month-old baby were found dead. State and local law enforcement personnel established a roughly three block perimeter around the scene. (H-W Photo/Philip Carlson)

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Published: 2/3/2009 | Updated: 2/12/2009

By RODNEY HART
Herald-Whig Staff Writer

LaGRANGE, Mo. — A LaGrange man was arrested Tuesday morning for two counts of felony homicide after authorities said his wife and baby son were found in their 408 N. Main residence.

Christopher Piersee, 24, is being held on a no-bond warrant for the murders of Patricia Piersee, 21, and her son, Landon, six months. They were found dead inside the residence after the LaGrange Police Department was called at about 9:40 a.m. Tuesday.

During a press conference Tuesday night with Lewis County Prosecutor Jake DeCoster, LaGrange Police Chief Larry Penn and Missouri State Highway Patrol Lt. Eric Olson, Lewis County Sheriff David Parrish said officers were searching inside the residence Tuesday night. He said there was no apparent motive, and the cause of deaths were not released.

“I need to stress to you that this is an ongoing investigation,” Parrish said.

The house, a few blocks from City Hall in downtown LaGrange, is still cordoned off for a three-block area on all sides by police tape.

Parrish said the double homicide is “an isolated incident” and that “there was no public safety threat.”

DeCoster said he had yet to read police reports to determine what charges Piersee might face. DeCoster said Tuesday that the plan was for Piersee to be in court the next morning, but Lewis County Sheriff Chief Deputy Rob Power said Wednesday morning that Piersee would not appear in court Wednesday.

More information on Piersee’s legal status is expected later today.

Penn said the family had lived in LaGrange for less than a year and that LaGrange Police had responded once to a report of a domestic disturbance at the residence in recent months.

Records do not show any criminal history for Piersee in Missouri except for a traffic ticket in Clark County.

It’s unknown how long the Piersees were married. Patricia Piersee had family in the area, while it’s believed Christopher Piercee may be from Iowa, authorities said.

An autopsy is planned Wednesday in Columbia on the two bodies. Parrish said investigators “are not ruling out” weapons being used in the homicide, but “it’s too early to speculate at this point.”

Parrish said he was not sure how long the bodies were in the house before police responded. Lewis County Coroner Larry Arnold declared them dead at 12:30 p.m. today.

Authorities confirmed the deceased woman's father is the one who discovered the bodies.

“It’s a tragedy,” Penn said. “We’re trying to get to the bottom of it.”

The last death investigation in Lewis County happened in May 2004 when Chrystal Smallwood died in connection with a meth lab explosion in the trailer of her boyfriend, David Johnston, in Maywood. Johnston was found guilty of second-degree murder sentenced to 50 years in prison.

The last gun-related death in Lewis County was in July 2002 when Dennis Williams, a resident of Canton, was shot at the mobile home of his estranged wife, Robin Williams, after a domestic dispute. Williams died in Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Ill., and an Adams County coroner’s jury ruled the death a justifiable homicide.

Rev. Paul Lohse of St. Peter Lutheran Church in LaGrange said several church members knew about the deaths Tuesday afternoon. He did not know details about the deaths and did not want to speculate on what might have happened.

“I feel for all the families, the parents of the young woman, both sides,” Lohse said.

Lohse said LaGrange is a small and “generally quiet” town.

“There’s people in difficulty here, too,” he said. “Fewer maybe than in larger places.”

— rhart@whig.com/221-3370

EDITOR'S NOTE: A headline on a previous version of this story stated that Christopher Piersee "will be charged" with felony homicide. Piersee will not be formally charged until he makes his first appearance in court.