The search began as a missing person case and grew into a child abuse and murder prosecution.
BUCYRUS, Mo. — Deputies who searched a rural Texas County property in March found children living in alleged abuse and neglect before uncovering remains later identified as a missing teenage boy, authorities said.
The surviving children are at the center of a case that now includes second-degree murder charges against Chaun Asbury, 42, and Tamla Asbury, 45. Investigators said one juvenile was locked in a shed without utilities, bound to a bed and severely malnourished. The search also led deputies to a shallow grave containing the skeletal remains of Ceasar Asbury, the couple’s teenage son, who authorities said had been reported as a possible runaway.
The March 10 operation brought deputies to a home on Lundy Road in the Bucyrus area as part of a missing person investigation. Law enforcement officials said Chaun Asbury tried to run when officers approached, while Tamla Asbury came out of the residence and was detained. Deputies quickly shifted attention to the children still at the property. Three juveniles were initially reported at the home, and child welfare officials later helped place the children in protective custody as the investigation widened.
The sheriff’s office said the home had no utilities or sewer service. Investigators reported unsanitary conditions, evidence of physical abuse and signs that children had been unnecessarily restrained. Chief Deputy Rowdy Douglas said officers saw fear and malnourishment when they reached the children. “Once the parents were detained, we got the children,” Douglas said. “We started seeing the shape that they were in.” He said one medical warning was especially grave, with hospital staff indicating the youngest child may have been only a short time from death.
The first criminal case filed against the Asburys reflected what deputies said they found among the surviving children. Each defendant was charged at first with five counts of child abuse. They were held on cash-only bonds while investigators continued searching the property and reviewing evidence. The discovery of a shallow grave changed the scope of the case. Authorities called in the Texas County Coroner and the Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control to assist with the remains.
At the time of the March arrests, officials had not publicly confirmed whose remains had been found. Still, the sheriff’s office said the findings were consistent with Ceasar Asbury, who had been the subject of the missing person inquiry. That uncertainty ended after a dental comparison by the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office. Sheriff Scott Lindsey said the remains were scientifically confirmed as Ceasar’s. The confirmation led prosecutors to file new charges tied to his death and to the alleged treatment of other children. The indictment accuses Chaun and Tamla Asbury of 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. Local court reporting said the indictment alleges Ceasar died on or about May 25, 2022, because of child abuse or neglect. The corpse abandonment charge covers the time between that date and March 10, 2026, when deputies found the grave during the search.
The child abuse counts involving surviving children describe a wider pattern, according to public summaries of the indictment. The children are identified by age rather than name. They include children now described as 16, 14, 12, 8 and 6. The alleged harm ranges from serious physical injury to serious emotional injury tied to lack of nutrition, housing and support for emotional development. Some charges list time periods from November 2023 through March 2026, suggesting prosecutors are examining years of alleged conditions inside the home.
Authorities have not publicly released a full medical account for each child. They also have not said exactly how many children were living at the property at different points covered by the indictment. The public record does not identify where the surviving children are now, beyond officials saying they were placed in protective custody. Their condition after removal has not been detailed in public statements. The case has therefore moved with a narrow set of confirmed facts and many details held back for court.
Lindsey described the case in unusually stark terms after the remains were confirmed and the new charges were filed. He said it was the worst child abuse and neglect case he had seen in more than 28 years of law enforcement. His statement focused on both Ceasar’s death and the surviving children. The sheriff’s office has not released a final autopsy narrative, and prosecutors have not publicly described the specific acts they believe caused the teen’s death.
The legal path ahead will require prosecutors to connect the condition of the home, the surviving children’s injuries, the grave and the forensic identification of Ceasar’s remains. Both defendants are being held without bond at the Texas County Jail. They are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The court case is expected to determine what evidence can be admitted and whether the state can prove the murder and abuse counts beyond a reasonable doubt.
The children found alive on March 10 remain the clearest sign of immediate danger described by authorities. That search also gave investigators the physical evidence that turned a missing person inquiry into a homicide prosecution. As of May 28, 2026, the Asburys remained jailed while Texas County prosecutors pursued the expanded indictment.
Author note: Last updated May 28, 2026.