ONLINE FIRST: Body discovered northwest of Mulberry

Information was received by the Crawford County Sheriff's Office leading to a body found in a grave one mile north and .25 miles west of Mulberry. The body was discovered buried in a strip pit area used as a dump site.

Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton said the body has not been identified at this time however on Oct. 30, 2009, the Crawford County Sheriff's Office and the Mulberry Police Department were advised of a missing person from Mulberry. The missing person was Richard Davis and foul play was suspected in his disappearance. Through the investigation and forensic evidence Duane Whal, of Mulberry, was arrested on Dec. 9, 2009 for the murder of Davis and has been incarcerated in the Crawford County Jail since that arrest and is being held without bond.

Horton said, a relative of Whal provided the information that lead to the discovery of the body in a shallow grave. The body was exhumed by investigators at about 2 p.m. Monday and has been sent to Topeka for identification and autopsy.

This investigation is being conducted by the Crawford County Sheriff's Office, Coroners' Office, Mulberry Police Department, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.