Editing Skidmore, Missouri (section)

==Crime==

On July 10, 1981, [[Ken McElroy]] was shot to death with at least two different guns while sitting in his truck in front of the D&G Tavern in town. Up to 50 individuals witnessed the event, all of whom denied seeing anything that would help police identify any of the shooters. McElroy's wife saw one of the gunmen and identified him.  The prosecutor took the case to two grand juries, but neither one thought any crime had been committed so there was no indictment. As of 2021, the murder has not been solved and still is considered an open case.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/classics/ken_mcelroy/index.html |title=Ken McElroy Murderer, rapist and consummate intimidator — Keep an Eye on Him — Crime Library on truTV.com |publisher=Crimelibrary.com |date=1981-07-10 |access-date=2012-04-08}}</ref>  McElroy had a reputation as the "town bully," and he had fended off over 20 charges for acts of theft, rape, and other violence (often by means of witness intimidation). In the months before his death, he was appealing a light sentence for shooting a 70-year-old grocer, Bo Bowenkamp, in the neck. Town residents had been upset over the inability of the courts to deal with him. Author [[Harry N. MacLean]] recounted the incident and its background in a bestselling and award-winning book, ''[[In Broad Daylight (book)|In Broad Daylight]]''.<ref>Harry N. MacLean, ''In Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, Missouri''. New York: Harper & Row, 1988.</ref> In 1991 the incident was portrayed in a [[In Broad Daylight (1991 film)|made-for-TV movie]] starring [[Brian Dennehy]] and [[Cloris Leachman]] (although filmed in Texas).<ref>{{IMDb title|id=0102106|title=In Broad Daylight}}</ref>  The Ken McElroy shooting was also the focus of the [[A&E Network]] program ''[[City Confidential]]'', season 2, episode 22 entitled, "Skidmore: Frontier Justice".

On October 16, 2000, Greg N. Dragoo beat and dragged his girlfriend, Wendy Gillenwater, down several country roads outside of Skidmore, causing her to die. Gillenwater's body was found outside her Skidmore home. Dragoo was charged with murder and given a life sentence by a Nodaway County judge. Dragoo is currently incarcerated in the Jefferson City Correctional Center.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-19072844.html|title=Charge now reads 2nd-degree murder|date=28 November 2000|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011162749/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-19072844.html|archive-date=11 October 2013|access-date=19 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.semissourian.com/story/152626.html|title=Murdered woman's town has been in spotlight before|date=19 December 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326141453/http://www.semissourian.com/story/152626.html|archive-date=26 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-3379993.html | work=CBS News | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005003117/http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-3379993.html | archive-date=2013-10-05 | title=A Small Town with a History of Violence }}</ref>

On April 11, 2001, [[Branson Perry]] vanished under mysterious circumstances from his residence at 304 West Oak Street in Skidmore. Perry's grandmother, Jo Ann, stopped by his home and found the house unlocked and deserted. She found this unusual and called the residence periodically over the next several days, but got no answer. Upon calling Perry's mother, Rebecca Klino, she found she had not spoken to him either. Ground search parties were organized by [[Nodaway County, Missouri|Nodaway County]] Sheriff's Office within a 15-mile (24&nbsp;km) radius of the Perry residence. Numerous fields, farms, and abandoned buildings were searched, but the efforts proved fruitless. His disappearance received national media coverage. Over the following month and a half, over one hundred people were interviewed in Perry's disappearance, but the case remains unsolved. On August 14, 2022, Nodaway County Sheriff Randy Strong announced their department had identified a suspect, but still needed more evidence before making an arrest.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ritzdorf |first1=Quinn |title=Officers Have a Suspect, Still Need Evidence in 21-Year Missing Person Case |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/finance/news/officers-suspect-still-evidence-21-003700112.html |access-date=August 15, 2022 |publisher=Yahoo Finance |date=August 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.maryvilleforum.com/features/laying-out-the-evidence-after-renewed-interest-in-branson-perry-case/article_178fa996-23af-11ef-b0d9-cf8d16406566.html |title=Laying out the evidence after renewed interest in Branson Perry case |date=June 6, 2024 }}</ref>

On December 16, 2004, Skidmore was once again the focus of national attention when [[Murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnett|Bobbie Jo Stinnett]], a cousin of [[Branson Perry]], was murdered in her home located at 410 W. Elm Street. She had her unborn baby cut from her womb,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/women/women_killers2/11.html |title=Women Who Kill, Part Two — Obsessed with Babies — Crime Library on truTV.com |publisher=Crimelibrary.com |date=2004-12-16 |access-date=2012-04-08}}</ref> which was found alive two days later in [[Topeka, Kansas]], and delivered to the father by police.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nwmissourinews.com/news/article_62a08176-b31a-11ef-884b-47346d0469ea.html |title=Sheriff Randy Strong walks through Bobbie Jo Stinnett investigation, rescue of kidnapped child |date=December 5, 2024 }}</ref> The killer, Lisa Montgomery, received a federal death sentence, and was executed early in the morning on January 13, 2021.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Corley |first1=Cheryl |title=U.S. Executes Lisa Montgomery, The Only Female On Federal Death Row |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/01/12/955984890/u-s-executes-lisa-montgomery-the-only-female-on-federal-death-row |website=Criminal Justice Collaborative |publisher=NPR |access-date=2021-01-12}}</ref>