Man hides 35-year-old woman’s body after she turns up dead in his home, MO cops say

A 62-year-old Missouri man allegedly dumped a woman’s body in the woods after she died in his home, police said.

The woman, Danielle Thomas, 35, had been a guest at the man’s De Soto home at the time, according to a Sept. 6 news release from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

The man allegedly found Thomas dead on Aug. 29, police said.

He told police that her body, which he discovered in his spare bedroom, was cold and stiff, according to KTVI.

The next day, witnesses spotted the body in a forested area close to the man’s Old Engledow Road home, police said.

An attorney for the man could not immediately be reached for comment by McClatchy News.

Investigators believe the man transported Thomas’ body to the woods after finding her dead.

They also found evidence that he cleaned up the room in his house where the body was found, police said.

He is being held at a local jail on a $20,000 bond.

No evidence of trauma was found on Thomas’ body, and her death is not believed to be a homicide, police said.

The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating Thomas’ cause of death.

De Soto is about 45 miles southwest of St. Louis.

This story was originally published September 7, 2023 at 10:24 AM with the headline "Man hides 35-year-old woman’s body after she turns up dead in his home, MO cops say."