Two days after a 34-year-old Columbia man was found dead in western Callaway County, investigators working the case have released relatively few details.
The Boone/Callaway County Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy Tuesday on Steven Mullens, a 2000 Hickman High School graduate, but the cause of his death had not been officially determined.
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Matt Oller, major at the Audrain County Sheriff's Office and spokesperson for the Mid-Missouri Major Case Squad, declined to say whether Mullens had any visible signs of trauma when he was found Monday. The squad, which includes 27 investigators from 10 area agencies, is investigating the case as a murder.
"There's just some circumstances surrounding the evidence that was located at the scene, leads us to believe that it's not natural and it's not accidental," Oller said.
Investigators are waiting for the medical examiner's full report, which could take a few weeks for toxicology and other blood screens, before a determination is made on the cause of Mullens' death.
"We're waiting for everything," Oller said. "We have our own suspicions, but we're going to have to wait for the medical examiner's office for it to be official."
The major case squad was activated late Monday night to assist the Callaway County Sheriff's Office's investigation. At about noon Monday, a Callaway County resident reported a suspicious vehicle on County Road 268, near the Boone County line. Deputies discovered Mullens' body in the vehicle.
Mullens' friends and family took to social media since hearing of his death to express their grief and condolences to his loved ones. Six years after he graduated from Hickman, Mullens earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from Columbia College, said college spokesman Sam Fleury.
Oller said the squad is looking into more than 70 leads in the case, with more tips coming in. He declined to release many details of the case, including whether Mullens was found in his own car or any suspects had been identified.
"Nothing that we're ready to nail down and release, but you know, things look hopeful at this point," Oller said.
Crimes must meet certain criteria for the major case squad to be called out, Oller said. The squad typically is called out for major crimes such as murder or kidnapping. When a mobilization is requested, the squad president — currently Callaway County Sheriff Dennis Crane — evaluates whether the case meets the criteria before calling member agencies to see whether they can spare an investigator.
"Typically in cases like this, when you don't have a really solid case to start with, you want to gather up all the information you can," Oller said. "That takes a lot of manpower."
Investigators ask anyone with information regarding the case to call the Mid-Missouri Major Case Squad at 573-876-2166.
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Source: Investigators release few details in case of Hickman graduate found dead
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