Clay Waller's cooperation 'nil' in investigation, police say

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been corrected to say that Clay Waller told police he saw Jacque Waller walk away, not drive away.

Police have questions for Clay Waller that they say he refuses to answer. Chief among them: Where was he in the evening hours of June 1, the night his wife of 17 years vanished?

While Waller's attorney refutes claims that his client has been uncooperative, investigators heading the case said Wednesday that Waller has repeatedly declined to answer questions and has only had a cursory involvement in the case.

"I would say that he's not cooperating," said Jackson police chief James Humphreys. "We need specific answers to specific questions, and we're not getting that. He has initiated some contact, but we're still not getting the answers that we need."

Clay Waller is the last person known to have seen Jacque Waller, who has been missing almost two months. The mother of triplets was last seen in Jackson in the area of Woodland Drive and North Neal Street. Police have said they suspect foul play and have called Clay Waller a person of interest.

Jacque Waller's family said that she was in town to file divorce papers against her husband June 1 and stopped at Clay Waller's house to pick up one of their children. Her family says Jacque had been staying in Ste. Genevieve, Mo., since March and had been planning on divorcing Clay for some time.

Clay Waller told police the two argued because their son was not there and was at a baby sitter's. He also told police that walked off and that he hasn't seen her since. Jacque Waller's car, a blue Honda Pilot, was found abandoned with a flat tire on Interstate 55 at mile marker 105 in the Fruitland area, though police have said the scene looked staged.

Lt. David James of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department described Clay Waller's cooperation as "nil." Investigators have had contact with him, James said, but he mainly wanted to talk about how searches for his wife had gone and offered to help.

But James said Waller hasn't answered questions about what he did after he watched his wife walked away.

"Where did he go when he saw her leave?" James said. "He's still just not being fully cooperative. We have limited information about his whereabouts."

Clay Waller's lawyer, Scott Reynolds, said it's his understanding that his client has cooperated with police and answered questions on numerous occasions. Reynolds declined to talk about which specific questions Waller has answered.

Having said that, however, Reynolds said talking to police isn't always the best legal option.

"Not in reference to this case, but generally speaking, there are any number of reasons a lawyer would not want a client talking to police," Reynolds said. "That should never be construed as an admission of guilt, and it should never be construed that that person has something to hide. There are legal reasons for it."

In the meantime, police said Wednesday they are continuing to follow up on leads. Humphreys said they are also awaiting lab results for some potential evidence, though he wasn't sure when those results would be in.

James said the investigators are working the case every day, often late into the evening. Several leads have been received from the national media exposure the case has garnered, he said.

"We're following the leads and going where the leads take us," James said. ""We're optimistic we will still be able to find her."

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Woodland Drive and North Neal Street, Jackson, MO