Accused murderer legally competent to face charges

FORSYTH, Mo. — Jeffrey Stansbery was arrested into custody of the Searcy County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, Nov. 19. on charges of capital murder and abuse of a corpse. 75 year-old Stansbery was previously being held in Taney County, Missouri, following his arrest there. However, his alleged crime was committed in Marshall — in Searcy County, Arkansas.
A case review was held in Missouri court on Nov. 18. Stansbery appeared by video, with his attorney. The court noted in the review that the Department of Mental Health's report stated that Stransbery was evaluated and determined legally competent to proceed with facing the charges in court.
During the case review, Stansbery's attorney stated that his client had no objection to the execution of a warrant to transport him back to Arkansas, for extradition of his case.

The case against Stansbery was opened following an investigation which began on Sept. 5, when the Searcy County Sheriff’s office received a call from personnel at Cox Medical Center in Branson, Missouri. The caller reported that Stansbery, a resident of St. Joe, Arkansas, had entered the hospital for treatment and made statements which referenced him doing harm to a female.
A search warrant to obtain biological DNA evidence from Jeffrey Stansbery was later executed on Sept. 21 by officers from the Arkansas State Police (ASP) and Searcy County Sheriff’s Office. The officers obtained cheek swabs and photographed Stansbery’s hands. Stansbery is being held in the Taney County Detention Center in Forsyth, Missouri, and the officers performed the search there.
Searcy County investigators then contacted the Branson Police Department and requested they dispatch units to the medical center in order to speak with Stansbery. Stansbery also made references to having done harm to a female while speaking with the police. Searcy County Sheriff Kenny Cassell and county investigators began attempting to locate a victim. After arriving at the Stansbery residence in St. Joe to do a welfare check on Stansbery’s wife, Amanda, the investigators discovered what appeared to be a possible crime scene and then withdrew until a search warrant could be obtained.