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Missouri Murder Suspect Arrested in Bloomington

Crawford County Sheriff's Office
Deacon Zelch, 40, a homicide suspect from Bourbon, Missouri.

A 40-year-old Missouri man was arrested Sunday in Bloomington in connection with a homicide investigation in Missouri, authorities said.

Deacon Zelch of Bourbon, Missouri, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Services at a residence on Van Schoick Street near Bloomington’s Miller Park on Sunday afternoon, police told GLT.

Zelch was identified Friday as a “person of interest” in the death of Edward J. Hillhouse, 28, also from Bourbon. Hillhouse went missing in April 2016 and his body was found last week. On Friday, the Crawford County (Missouri) sheriff’s department asked for the public’s help in finding Zelch.

“He is to be considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.

Zelch was being held in the McLean County jail early Monday.

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Ryan Denham is the digital content director for WGLT.
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