Butler County authorities continue to build a case against those they believe are responsible for the death of a local woman whose burned body was found in late December.
“We feel like we know who is responsible for putting the body at the location and incinerating the remains, as well as who killed her; however, we continue to investigate to shore up the case on the responsible parties,” explained Butler County Sheriff mark Dobbs.
The person authorities believe killed Brittney Grammer is in custody on other charges at this time, Dobbs said.
Authorities, the sheriff said, were alerted to what are believed to be Grammer’s remains by a third party who found them in eastern Butler County between Broseley and Poplar Bluff on Dec. 26.
DNA testing reportedly is pending to confirm remains are that of the 33-year-old.
The remains, according to Dobbs, had been “incinerated by fire in an obvious attempt by the suspect to eliminate the finding of a body.”
Authorities, Dobbs said, are “very fortunate” that someone came across the remains and was willing to come forward and notify authorities.
“Since that time, the Butler County(/Poplar Bluff) Major Case Squad has worked day and night investigating leads and trying to determine who was responsible and how the person died,” Dobbs explained.
Their investigation led them to believe the remains were that of Grammer.
“According to family members, they didn’t see Brittney over the holidays and hadn’t heard from her in about a week” prior to Dec. 29.
Dobbs said there have been about 25 officers from the sheriff’s department, Missouri State Highway Patrol and Poplar Bluff Police Department “at all times working on it.
“Thousands of man hours already have been expended on the case.”
Dobbs said investigators want to “make a good case on what is a very heinous crime involving some very dangerous people.”
Authorities, he said, are “eager to build a criminal case on anyone who assisted in the crime. … We’ve still got a long ways to go.”