The ex-chief says warrant returns exposed messages suggesting advance knowledge of where a 23-year-old’s body would be found.
BOWLING GREEN, Mo. — A former police chief from this Pike County town says he uncovered messages tying a sheriff’s deputy to an alleged cover-up in the death of 23-year-old Nathaniel “Nate” Mueller, whose remains were pulled from a farm pond in February. The chief, who has since left the job, described how a robbery investigation and a search warrant led to texts between a suspect and a high-ranking member of the sheriff’s office.
At issue is a months-long chain of events that began after Mueller was reported missing in December and continued through public rallies, a courthouse news conference in March, and the state’s decision to take over the case. The former chief, Ty Bounds, says the texts suggested the deputy knew the pond location weeks before recovery teams found Mueller. Sheriff Stephen Korte has said he supports a thorough outside review. The Missouri State Highway Patrol is now the lead agency, and family members are pressing for clarity on how the investigation was handled inside Pike County.
Mueller’s car was discovered along a rural road west of Frankford in December, with personal items left behind, according to authorities at the time. Crews later recovered his body in February from a nearby pond on private land. In mid-March, Bounds stood on the courthouse steps and said a separate Bowling Green robbery case cracked open new questions. He said digital data seized under warrant showed an intimate relationship between one robbery suspect and a senior sheriff’s office official. “Corruption has no place in law enforcement and cannot be tolerated,” Bounds said then, adding that his officers and troopers were put at risk by interference he attributed to county officials. Korte, the sheriff, responded that he welcomed the patrol’s independent inquiry and would not comment further while it proceeds.
In an interview describing his discovery, Bounds said investigators followed routine steps in the robbery case: obtain phones, seek warrants, and comb through messages, location points and contact lists. That is when he says they found texts that, in his view, implied foreknowledge of where Mueller’s body lay. He also said the messages raised questions about whether anyone in authority took steps to separate potential conflicts or preserve evidence. Bounds has not publicly released the full texts, citing the patrol’s ongoing work. He said the returns were shared with state investigators. The sheriff’s office has not answered detailed questions about the deputy’s role or whether internal reviews were opened. The deputy’s name has not been formally released by state authorities, and no charging documents have been filed that describe the alleged relationship.
The dispute burst into public view at a March 14 courthouse gathering where Bounds and his attorney addressed residents, Mueller’s relatives and local media. Records from that day show Bounds linking the robbery suspects to the death investigation and declaring that a senior official’s personal relationship with one suspect should have been disclosed and managed from the start. Friends and family spoke of unanswered calls and inconsistent explanations in the early weeks after Mueller vanished. They recalled a December news release that suggested he had wandered from a relative’s property after consuming edibles and left behind clothing and a wallet, a narrative they disputed. After the February recovery, some county officials described no foul play, but the family and Bounds urged a closer review, pointing to the pending phone evidence and conflicts he detailed.
The Highway Patrol’s arrival marked a shift in who is responsible for gathering facts. Investigators typically seek autopsy findings, toxicology results and data from phones and vehicles, plus timelines built from witness accounts and surveillance. In this case, the patrol also inherited questions about jurisdiction and potential interference. Prosecutors commonly wait for a complete patrol report before deciding on charges. As of mid-November, no public charging decisions had been announced in connection with Mueller’s death. Any criminal case could take shape in stages, beginning with sworn statements to support warrants and, if filed, probable cause affidavits. Should officials pursue internal discipline, that process would run separately from any criminal action and could lead to administrative hearings.
Residents who gathered at the courthouse in March described Mueller as a devoted father and steady presence. His mother, Tammy Mueller, said her son checked on her daily and did not simply walk away from his life. “He was a good person; he worked hard,” she said at the rally. Friends said the community felt whiplash as the case moved from a missing person search to a death scene and then to a debate over who knew what, and when. Supporters of the sheriff said they want facts from the patrol rather than accusations traded in public. A local attorney working with Bounds said he took the case because the family’s grief and the unanswered questions demanded a fuller accounting.
State investigators remain in control of interviews and evidence testing, according to officials familiar with the transfer. The next visible step is expected to be a patrol update or a prosecutorial decision once the case file is complete. If authorities schedule a public briefing, it would likely be held in Bowling Green or at a regional patrol troop headquarters. Until then, the sheriff’s office, the former chief and Mueller’s family are waiting on the same thing: a definitive report explaining how the 23-year-old ended up in that pond and whether anyone in law enforcement broke rules or the law.
Author note: Last updated November 18, 2025.