Suspect held for body dumped in Mississippi

The body found Tuesday was identified as the victim of a southwest Missouri homicide.

COMMERCE, Mo. -- A man with Southeast Missouri ties is being held as a "person of interest" in the murder of a Barry County man whose body was apparently dumped in the Mississippi River and found Tuesday along the river's banks north of Commerce.

Dennis R. Bisher, 37, of Shell Knob in southwest Missouri was being held Wednesday on stealing charges in the Barry County Jail in lieu of $75,000 bond.

But police believe he was involved in the murder of another Barry County man who was found in Scott County by three fishermen. Bisher is thought to originally be from Mississippi County or New Madrid County and still has relatives there, police say.

Barry County Sheriff Mick Epperly said that he received a report on Tuesday that a homicide had taken place either late Sunday night or early Monday morning in Shell Knob, which is a town of 1,300.

Epperly said the victim -- William "Bill" Nance -- was apparently killed in the bedroom of his home. Police believe the body was then removed from the house and that an attempt was made to conceal and destroy evidence at the scene.

The car of the victim's wife had been burned out and left about 10 miles north of the crime scene, Epperly said. Investigators then began looking for the suspect.

A body believed to be that of the victim next surfaced Tuesday afternoon in Southeast Missouri, when Scott County authorities were contacted by three men who had been fishing. The men said they came across a body as they were going through a brushy area on their way back to their vehicle.

The body, thought to be of a man in his 60s, was partially clothed and had obvious trauma to the head, said Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter.

Walter said it was believed that the body had been in the river one or two days.

While the Scott County coroner's office was transporting the body to the Mineral Area Regional Medical Center in Farmington, Mo., for autopsy, the department learned of the investigation in Barry County. The body was determined to be the Barry County victim.

At midnight Tuesday, Bisher was arrested in Hollister, Mo., near Branson by police investigating a suspicious vehicle, Epperly said. Bisher was then returned to Barry County.

An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday.

smoyers@semissourian.com

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