MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
a division of the
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Troop E - 4947 Hwy 67 North, Poplar Bluff, Missouri

News Release

For further information please contact: Sergeant Clark Parrott
573-840-9500, Ext. 3532
E2
April 21, 2020

EMPHASIS: Missouri And Illinois Joint Investigation Leads To Murder Charge For Morehouse, Missouri, Man

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control announces additional charges for James A. Merritt, 32, of Morehouse, Missouri, who was arrested and charged initially on April 16, 2020, for trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Haley Decker, 18, of Normal, Illinois, was reported missing on March 4, 2020, to the Normal, Illinois, Police Department. Decker was found deceased on March 26, 2020, in the Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge, in rural Pulaski County, Illinois.
On April 16, 2020, investigators from the Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control, Illinois State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at Merritt’s residence located on Marshall Street, in Morehouse, Missouri. As a result of the investigators’ search, the New Madrid County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office formally charged Merritt with 1st degree murder, armed criminal action, and tampering with physical evidence, on Monday, April 20, 2020. Merritt remains in custody at the Mississippi County Detention Center, with no bond.
The additional charges are the result of an ongoing investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Illinois State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Patrol was assisted by the Normal, Illinois, Police Department, as well as the following Missouri agencies: New Madrid County Sheriff’s Office, Sikeston Department of Public Safety, and Cape Girardeau and Morehouse police departments.
The above charges are mere accusations and are not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of these charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
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