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13-Year-Old Boy Killed at McGee Residence

A Wayne County teen was killed Wednesday afternoon at his home in rural McGee. Wayne County Sheriff Dean Finch identified the 13-year-old victim as Ricky Taylor. A 15-year-old boy is currently in juvenile custody related to the death.

Ricky Taylor was a student in the Greenville R-2 School District. Members of the community came together Friday evening for a candlelight vigil at the Greenville High School softball field. On Monday, Greenville students wore green clothing to school to remember their classmate.

Visitation and funeral for Taylor was held Tuesday at Corinth Baptist Church in Lowndes. Burial was in Corinth Cemetery. 

Authorities learned of the Taylor’s death at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, when a call came into the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department from the teen’s home, Finch said. 

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control investigated the death.

“The mother and (her) 10-year-old daughter, the sister of the boy, are actually the ones who found him,” Finch said.

When deputies arrived at the single-wide mobile home on Highway Z, Finch said, they found the teen dead in the kitch-en from “what appeared to be a gunshot wound.” 

While on the scene, Finch said, a 15-year-old, who was identified as the alleged suspect, “came out of the woods adjacent to the house,” and he was taken into custody.

Authorities obtained a search warrant for the home and a long gun was recovered, according to Sheriff Finch.

Sheriff Finch said at the time of the shooting, the two teenagers were the only ones at the residence. Officers, the sheriff said, believe the shooting hap-pened not long after the boys got home from school. 

An autopsy was conducted Thursday by Dr. Russell Diediker at Farmington. It showed the “cause of death was a  (single) shotgun blast to the back of the head, according to Sheriff Finch.

Further details, including a motive are not being released at this time. Finch said at this point, authorities do not know why the shooting occurred.

The 15-year-old, the sheriff said, is being held in an area juvenile detention center. Sheriff Finch said the teen’s case is proceeding through the juvenile court system which includes deten-tion hearing. 

“He will be detained in the juvenile court system until  such time as a hearing can be held for certification as an adult,” Finch said. If he is certified as an adult, charges would be filed in Wayne County Court.

7 Comments

  1. Anonymous on August 12, 2022 at 2:36 pm

    Will there be a update to this?

    • Anonymous on March 22, 2023 at 2:27 pm

      33 years in federal prison is what he got

  2. Anonymous on August 12, 2022 at 1:23 pm

    Rest in peace, your memory will live on.

  3. anonymous on October 24, 2019 at 8:43 pm

    Has any progress been made on the teen that shot Ricky.

    • anonymous on February 20, 2020 at 10:58 am

      The teen that shot him was thought to be his brother but my mind registers other thoughts. I don’t honestly think even with all the mental issues he had that he would shoot his brother in the back of the head. My mind raced that day and I waited for weeks and weeks on end hoping he would show up but he never did and realization set in. My mind raced though because the teen loved his brother he would never shoot him. I think there was someone else he just left right as the mother and daughter got home. Said teen just happened to be there when the police showed up and was taken as a suspect. I however do not think he shot his own brother in the back of the head. That’s all I have to say about it. lgeer2005@gmail.com is my email if you have any further comments about this shoot me an email and I would love to speak with anyone about this. This 13 year old was my best friend. I wanna be there for anyone who has questions.

      • Anonymous on January 27, 2022 at 2:03 pm

        What was Ricky’s brother sentenced to?

      • Anonymous on February 1, 2022 at 2:39 pm

        Has Ricky’s older brother been sentenced yet?

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