WORKING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE FAMILIES OF THE MISSING

Ira Lee Briscoe
Suspicious Circumstances
Cold Case
Ira Lee Briscoe
Missing From Lanton,
Missouri -
United States of America
Ira Lee Briscoe

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March 16, 2023 12:00 am

Family members are seeking any information on two roommates missing in Missouri who haven’t been seen in two years.

Ira Lee Briscoe and Limon Little were roommates living in West Plains, Missouri. They were last seen in December of 2020.

There’s little information on their disappearances, and police haven’t even confirmed the cases are connected or if their disappearances could be related to drug cartel activity in the area.

“This is an incredible mystery, because there’s so many things that could have happened here,” Law Olmstead, president of the Missing Persons Center, told NewsNation.

December 19, 2023 12:00 am

The story of Ira Briscoe’s disappearance leaves unanswered questions.

Three years after Ira Briscoe mysteriously vanished on December 17, 2020, his mother, Marilyn Briscoe, can’t help but reminisce.

“Everybody loved Ira. They did,” she says.

“He was a great dad! He was a good dad. He loved his son.”

Days before his disappearance, Ira had been involved in a fight. His jaw was broken, his front teeth knocked out, and his truck intentionally set ablaze—all precursors to his mysterious disappearance.

Marilyn recounts her last encounter with Ira, delivering soup money and cigarettes. Little did she know, it would be the final time she laid eyes on her son.

December 12, 2022 12:00 am

Marking the anniversary of the disappearance of Ira Lee Briscoe, friends and family gathered Saturday at People’s Park in West Plains, defying frigid temperatures and biting wind to release 24 balloons, one for each month Ira has been gone.

The last day anyone spoke to Ira was Dec. 17, 2020, and he was reported missing to the Howell County Sheriff's Department on Dec. 23.

About 20 friends and family members talked Saturday about Ira, and the frustration of still not knowing where Briscoe is or what happened, and the effort of keeping him in the hearts and minds of the community.

Missing: Ira Lee Briscoe
Missing: Ira Lee Briscoe
Two roommates have been missing for two years | NewsNation Live
Two roommates have been missing for two years | NewsNation Live
Last Seen: December 17, 2020
Classification: Suspicious Circumstances
Status: Cold Case

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Male
29 years old
American
Caucasian
Hair: brown
Eyes: Blue
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 160 lbs
None Indicated

CIRCUMSTANCES OF DISAPPEARANCE

LANTON, Mo. (KY3) - It has been two weeks and counting since a Howell County man went missing under suspicious circumstances.

Deputies say rumors have been flying in the small town, but still no sign of Ira Lee Briscoe. Investigators say with each passing day in a case like this, the urgency only grows. “The more time that goes by, the more likely the outcome is not going to be good,” said Howell County sheriff’s deputy Lt. Torey Thompson. Lt. Thompson says Briscoe was last seen near his home in rural Howell County, the Lanton area. His house is now boarded up.

Detectives have been following multiple leads, but so far no sign of the 25-year-old. Briscoe’s parents reported him missing on December 23, although they had not heard from him since Dec. 17. That is uncommon for the family. “They’re very concerned about the whereabouts of their son,” Lt. Thompson said. We reached out for an interview with Briscoe’s parents, but they did not want to talk about the case. One week after the report was made, detectives thought they had a major break in the case.

They found Briscoe’s car. It was at a scrap yard. “The problem is there’s some debate about whether it’s even his car or not anymore. He may have given it to someone else, so it doesn’t offer us any evidentiary value whatsoever,” Thompson said. The day before Briscoe went missing, two people exchanged gunfire inside a house in nearby Koshkonong. Both of them know Briscoe, which gave investigators reason to possibly think there could be a connection. “Yes, Ira Briscoe is an associate of both individuals that were involved in that shooting.” Investigators are working to determine if there could be a connection between what led up to the shooting, and Briscoe’s disappearance. “It could be indirectly connected, or even directly connected... we just don’t know exactly what we are looking at yet. We are following up.”

At this point, Briscoe’s case is still considered a missing persons case under suspicious circumstances. If you have any information on it, you are asked to call the Howell County Sheriff’s Office.

His car is described as a 1995 Mercury Sable with the license plate number of LC9-V1B. The original color of the vehicle is silver, but investigators believe it has been spray painted black. Anyone with information regarding the shooting or Briscoe's disappearance is asked to contact the Howell County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation division at 417-256-2544.

RELATED CASES

There are no cases related to this one
Last Updated - January 28, 2024
Intake Date: January 1, 2021
Missing Since:
December 17, 2020
MPC#: 15249

LAW ENFORCEMENT DETAILS

Howell County Sheriff’s Office
HOWELL COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
417-256-2544
Criminal Investigation Division
Case Number:
20-002890

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