Authorities said dental records confirmed the remains were those of 18-year-old Ceasar Asbury.
BUCYRUS, Mo. — A Texas County couple has been charged with murder after authorities said skeletal remains found in a shallow grave at their rural home were identified as their 18-year-old son.
Chaun C. Asbury, 42, and Tamla Asbury, 45, were indicted Thursday on charges tied to the death of Ceasar Asbury and the alleged abuse and neglect of other children at the home. The case began as a missing person investigation and grew into one of the most serious child abuse cases local officials say they have handled.
Texas County deputies served a search warrant March 10 at a residence on Lundy Road in the Bucyrus area, west of Houston, Missouri. The sheriff’s office said the search was connected to a missing person investigation. As officers approached, Chaun Asbury tried to flee and was taken into custody, officials said. Tamla Asbury left the residence and was detained. Deputies said they found three juveniles at the property, including one child locked in a shed with no utilities and bound to a bed. Investigators said that child was severely malnourished and needed urgent medical care. All three juveniles were taken into protective custody.
During the search, deputies said they found unsanitary living conditions inside the home, which they said had no utilities or sewer. They also reported signs of physical abuse and unnecessary restraint involving the children. As the search continued, investigators found skeletal remains buried in a shallow grave on the property. Texas County Coroner Brent Honeycutt responded, along with members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control. At the time, officials said the findings were consistent with Ceasar Asbury, who had previously been reported by the suspects as a possible runaway.
Authorities said Thursday that the remains had been scientifically confirmed as Ceasar Asbury through a dental comparison by the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office. Texas County Sheriff Scott Lindsey said additional information and evidence were then presented to Texas County Prosecuting Attorney Parke Stevens. Prosecutors filed new charges against both Asburys, including second-degree murder, abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death, abandonment of a corpse, three counts of first-degree domestic assault and eight counts of abuse or neglect of a child. The sheriff’s office said both defendants were being held in the Texas County Jail on no-bond warrants.
Local court reporting said the Texas County grand jury indictment alleges Ceasar Asbury died on or about May 25, 2022, as a result of child abuse or neglect. The indictment also alleges abandonment of his corpse from May 25, 2022, until March 10, 2026, when the search warrant was served. Other counts involve children now described in court records as 16, 14, 12, 8 and 6 years old. The allegations include physical injury, lack of nutrition, poor housing and lack of emotional development and support over time periods listed from November 2023 to March 2026. The charges are accusations, and the Asburys are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The case has moved in stages since the March search. At first, Chaun and Tamla Asbury were each charged with five counts of child abuse and were held on $100,000 cash-only bonds. The discovery of the remains and later identification of Ceasar Asbury shifted the case into a death investigation. The Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division helped place the juveniles found at the property. The Texas County Special Response Team served the warrant, with deputies and officers from the Houston and Licking police departments. Houston police also provided supplies and equipment during the operation.
Lindsey described the case in unusually strong terms after the March arrests. “This is absolutely the worst case of child abuse and neglect that I have encountered in my 28 plus years of law enforcement,” the sheriff said. “The life that was lost and the other lives of the children that were affected by this situation is a horrible tragedy.” He said then that he expected more charges as the investigation continued. The May indictment followed that warning, adding murder and death-related counts after the medical examiner’s office confirmed the identity of the remains.
The property also has become central to the timeline now under review. Local reporting said the Asburys acquired the property in September 2021. Prosecutors allege Ceasar Asbury died months later, in May 2022. His remains were not found until March 2026, after authorities arrived to search the Lundy Road residence. Officials have not publicly released a final cause of death, and it remains unclear what evidence led investigators to the property beyond the missing person case. Authorities also have not released full details about the condition of the other children beyond the allegations listed in court records and the sheriff’s public statements.
Ceasar Asbury had appeared in Missouri’s missing persons system before the remains were identified, local reports said. The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Missing Persons Clearinghouse collects and shares information from law enforcement agencies, and missing person entries are tied to reports entered through police or sheriff’s offices. In this case, officials said Ceasar had been reported as a possible runaway by the suspects. That detail is now part of a wider investigation into what happened at the home, how long the remains were buried and what adults at the property knew about his death.
The next step is in Texas County court. Local reporting said Chaun Asbury is scheduled for arraignment at 1 p.m. May 12 at the Texas County Justice Center. Tamla Asbury is scheduled to appear at 9 a.m. the same day. Prosecutors will have to present evidence to support each count, including the murder charge, child abuse allegations and the abandonment of a corpse count. Defense proceedings are expected to focus on the evidence collected from the property, medical findings, witness statements and the timing of the alleged abuse and neglect.
As of May 8, Chaun and Tamla Asbury remained jailed without bond, and the surviving children had been removed from the home. The next major public milestone is the May 12 arraignment hearings in Texas County.
Author note: Last updated May 8, 2026.