KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Law enforcement in Kansas arrested two people who were sought in connection with a death in Butler, Missouri, that was believed to have happened Wednesday.
Butler police told 41 Action News they pulled Cindy McCoy’s body from a lake around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday morning. Police said they received reports of a vehicle floating in Butler City Lake and found McCoy's body inside.
The vehicle had only been in the lake for about 30 minutes, according to police, who immediately labeled the death suspicious.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said that 33-year-old Samantha McCoy, the daughter of Cindy McCoy, was taken into custody around 5:50 p.m. Thursday near Mound City, Kansas, after a tip from a citizen.
Samantha McCoy, who lives in Pleasanton, Kansas, was booked in the Linn County Jail on a warrant from Bates County, Missouri. Police said Friday that she is a suspect in the case.
Monte McCoy, 43, also was arrested in connection with Cindy McCoy's death as a person of interest. He was booked Thursday in the Linn County Jail.
Police Chief Randy Beshore said Friday that Samantha McCoy and Monte McCoy have the same last name but are not related. The two used to date.
Police said they don’t know if Cindy McCoy was dead or alive when the vehicle went into the lake.
Beshore said two witnesses told police they saw people at the lake around the time Cindy's body was found and that a vehicle that matches Monte McCoy's was seen at the lake.
Authorities said they could not say how Cindy died, citing the ongoing investigation.
"The preliminary indication is that the cause of death is other than a natural occurrence," Bates County Coroner Greg Mullinax said. "It is suspicious, meaning likely foul play was involved."
According the underlying complaint in the arrest warrant for Monte, he and Samantha acted together and "knowingly attempted to kill or cause serious physical injury to" Cindy McCoy by "striking her with a vehicle."
Cindy McCoy lived in the Osceola, Missouri, area.
