Howell County

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Mo. -- Howell County authorities say it appears a toddler accidentally drowned in the backyard pool at her family's home near Mountain View. Abbey Sevor, 22 months, apparently fell in over the weekend.  She was dead on arrival at the hospital in West Plains.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- The Howell County Sheriff's Department and the Ozark Police Department are investigating the death of a 10-month-old girl on Tuesday morning.  Sheriff Mike Shannon says officers were called to the hospital in West Plains about 7:45 a.m. after the girl died. Shannon hasn't released other details about the baby's death.  An autopsy in Columbia on Friday morning could tell investigators more about the girl's death.  Howell County Coroner Tim Cherry says state law requires an autopsy and formal death investigation on nearly every child who dies under age 1.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- A third person is charged for a murder in Howell County.  Bradley Jenkins, 22, of West Plains, was arrested just before midnight Monday in Willow Springs.  Jenkins, like co-defendants Daniel Baird and Heather Bennett, faces charges of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action for the death of Jackie Yarber last Friday night.  Investigators say Yarber was stabbed or possibly run over by a vehicle. ...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A storm system that hit the Ozarks Thursday afternoon dumped rain all across the region and caused several waterways to rapidly rise. The National Weather Service office in Springfield received several reports of flooded roads and intersections in several cities across the Ozarks, including Mount Vernon, Pierce City, Marshfield, Republic and Battlefield. The rain also caused several creeks and small waterways to rise rapidly, flooding numerous other low-water crossings in the Ozarks.

A woman from Joplin is dead after a motorcycle crash in Howell County.  The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Beth Kirk was riding on the motorcycle on Highway CC Thursday night, just east of West Plains, when the driver lost control on a curve and hit a ditch. Kirk was pronounced dead at the hospital.  She was 49 years old.  The driver of the motorcycle is recovering from serious injuries.

Emergency management says Saturday night's flooding in West Plains is the worst the city has seen in 20-years. Easter Sunday gave residents a chance to see the damage.  It seems like everyone has a story to tell from the Howell County area. Many residents could only sit and watch and wait to see what would happen to the flood waters.  For some, the flood's current took away landscaping stones while for others, crept anxiously close to their front step.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- A man from Thornfield is in a hospital in Springfield after he was accidentally shot at a pawn shop on Friday morning.  The Howell County Sheriff's Department says Raymond Hesterlee, 62, was injured when an employee of West Plains Pawn & Fine Jewelry, 1713 W. U.S. 160, accidentally caused a weapon to fall and it discharged. Hesterlee was struck in the left hip and groin.  A helicopter ambulance flew him to Springfield.  The accident was about 11:30 a.m.

HOWELL COUNTY, Mo. - A 20-year-old woman from Arkansas was hurt in a crash Thursday that involved a bus taking West Plains students home for the afternoon. Peyton R. Slocum, 20, of Altus, Ark., suffered minor injuries when she rear-ended a 2003 International school bus with a 2004 Toyota Camry six miles west of West Plains on U.S. Highway 160 at 4 p.m. Thursday. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the bus was unloading children when the crash occurred. All lights on the school bus, carrying students from West Plains, were working and the driver was wearing a safety device.

CAULFIELD, Mo. -- Investigators are looking for a missing 2004 silver Jeep Liberty as part of their investigation of the death of Joy Dishneau, 63, at her home here.  The vehicle has a Missouri license plate number YF7 F7F. The cause of Dishneau's death was still listed as undetermined on Tuesday.  The investigation started on Monday morning after she was found dead at her home-based business, Naturally Enchanted, about 10 a.m.   The Jeep...

WEST PLAINS, Mo. --  Two people were taken into custody on Monday in connection with the death of a woman from Caulfield last week, according to the Howell County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Mike Shannon says a man and a woman were arrested, but he hasn't identified them or said how the suspects are involved the case. Joy Dishneau, 63, (pictured in 2010) was found dead on Jan. 2 at her home where she also operated a business called Naturally Enchanted.   Her vehicle was missing but was located a day later abandoned in nearby Ozark County.