MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
a division of the
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Division of Drug and Crime Control-P.O. Box 568, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102
News Release
For further information please contact:
Sergeant Darrin R. Haslag
573-526-6302
05/10/2024
May 10, 2024
EMPHASIS:
Arrest Made In Jefferson County In Connection With A Missing Person Investigation
The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control announces the arrest of Thomas E. “Tedo” Gamble, 21, formally of Potosi, Missouri, in connection to the 2021 disappearance of John Paul Parton, of High Ridge, Missouri. Parton was reported missing to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on May 28, 2021. The arrest of Gamble was the result of a joint investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
On May 28, 2021, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the disappearance of John Paul Parton, of High Ridge, Missouri. With the assistance of criminal investigators with the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control, investigators learned that Parton was murdered on May 18, 2021, at a location in St. Francois County. On April 25, 2024, the St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney formally charged Thomas E. “Tedo” Gamble, 21, formerly of Potosi, Missouri, with first degree murder, armed criminal action, tampering with physical evidence, and abandonment of a corpse. At that time, a no bond warrant was issued for Gamble’s arrest.
On May 1, 2024, Gamble was arrested in Port Allen, Louisiana, by the Port Allen Police Department, with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service. Gamble is currently being held in the West Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Jail, where he is awaiting extradition to Missouri. At this time, Parton’s body has not yet been located. The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office ask that anyone with information about Parton’s murder and/or disappearance please contact Missouri State Highway Patrol Corporal Jason Ashby at 314-608-2764. Corporal Ashby can also be reached by email at jason.ashby@mshp.dps.mo.gov.
The above charges are mere accusation 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.
Follow the Missouri State Highway Patrol on X @MSHPTrooperDDCC
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