Investigators say phone records, witness statements and a buried body connected the case to a Windsor property.

CLINTON, Mo. — A Missouri man has been charged with first-degree murder after deputies investigating a missing woman said a witness led them to human remains buried on rural property in Henry County.

The case centers on 43-year-old Janice Cook, whose disappearance drew concern after her social media activity stopped and her vehicle was found abandoned. Authorities said Billy Tabor, 70, is accused of killing Cook and helping conceal her body. A second man, 39-year-old Colby Eisel, is charged with abandonment of a corpse.

Cook was reported missing April 9 after relatives and friends said they had not heard from her and saw no activity from her social media accounts after March 27. Police said her vehicle had been found abandoned March 28. Her dog was later found about a mile from the same location, a detail investigators said stood out because people close to Cook told them she would not have left the dog behind. The early missing-person inquiry then turned toward phone records. Investigators said Cook’s last known phone location was in Windsor, Missouri, and the last person she contacted was Tabor. When deputies went to Tabor’s residence, he acknowledged knowing Cook and said she had been at his home for a short time during the early morning hours of March 28. He said Cook left after a “couple of hours,” but police said he could not give an exact time.

As deputies continued to gather statements, they learned of a remark Tabor allegedly made to an unnamed woman. Investigators said Tabor told the woman she “would not have to worry about J.J. anymore,” using Cook’s nickname. When he was asked whether he had killed Cook, Tabor allegedly laughed and walked away without answering. That statement became part of a probable cause account that also described a later tip from a neighboring county. On April 30, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office received information that another witness had been at Tabor’s home during the hours when Cook was believed to have disappeared. That witness told police he arrived at about 2 a.m. on March 28 and saw Tabor pacing in what appeared to be an agitated state.

The witness told investigators he then saw Cook lying on the ground and believed she was dead. According to the probable cause statement, the witness said Tabor got ropes, tied them to Cook and attached the other ends to a Honda CR-V. Tabor then allegedly used the vehicle to drag Cook farther down the property. The witness said Tabor called for him to come help “dig a grave.” Investigators said the two men dug a large hole, wrapped Cook’s body in black fabric and buried her there. The filing did not identify the witness by name. It also did not say what investigators believe caused Cook’s death, and authorities were still waiting for forensic confirmation on the remains recovered from the property.

The same witness gave deputies an account of what allegedly happened after the burial. He said Tabor threatened to shoot him if he did not move Cook’s vehicle and belongings to Johnson County. After Tabor drove him back home, the witness said he saw a black revolver on a table. The probable cause statement also said Tabor made comments suggesting he had been frustrated with Cook. Investigators have not released a full motive, and the record made public so far does not explain the nature of Cook’s relationship with Tabor or Eisel. It also does not say when Eisel allegedly became involved, beyond the abandonment charge filed after authorities said both men were connected to moving Cook’s body.

Deputies questioned Tabor again after gathering the witness account, but police said he invoked his right to counsel. He was then arrested and charged with first-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse. Eisel was charged with abandonment of a corpse the same day. The witness later took investigators back to the property and showed them where Cook had allegedly been buried. The Henry County Sheriff’s Office said human remains were recovered and that officials believed they belonged to Cook. Authorities said Cook’s family had been contacted, though forensic testing remained pending when the charges were announced. That testing is expected to confirm identity and may help determine more about how Cook died.

The case moved from a disappearance to a homicide investigation over three weeks, beginning with Cook’s silence online and ending with a search of rural property in Windsor. Her abandoned vehicle and the location of her dog gave investigators early signs that she may not have left voluntarily. Phone records then placed her last known location near Tabor, and his own statement placed her at his residence during the same early morning window when the witness said he saw her on the ground. The evidence described by police is a mix of digital records, physical recovery, witness claims and Tabor’s alleged remarks. Prosecutors will have to present that evidence in court, where Tabor and Eisel are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Tabor is being held at the Henry County Jail without bond. Court records cited by authorities showed he was scheduled for a bond hearing on May 5. Eisel is also being held at the Henry County Jail, with bond set at $250,000 cash only. His next court date was not immediately listed. The public record released so far does not include a plea from either man, and no defense statements were included in the sheriff’s account or the probable cause summary. The next steps are expected to include bond proceedings, continued forensic work on the remains and further review of statements, phone records and evidence from the property.

The Henry County Sheriff’s Office, based in Clinton, announced the recovery of remains after the witness took investigators to the burial site. The office said it had made contact with Cook’s family, a step that often comes before public confirmation in a suspected death investigation. The sheriff’s office also said the remains were believed to be Cook’s, but stopped short of final identification while testing continued. For Cook’s friends and relatives, the search began with missing posts, unanswered contact and a dog found alone. It ended, at least for now, with two arrests and a criminal case that has shifted into the courts.

Currently, Tabor remains charged with first-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse, while Eisel remains charged with abandonment of a corpse. The next milestone is the court process following Tabor’s May 5 bond hearing and the pending forensic confirmation of the remains.

Author note: Last updated May 23, 2026.