COLE CAMP, Mo. – The murders of a 15-year-old girl and her grandparents in the small central Missouri town of Cole Camp have changed the way the people there live.
"I think everybody is scared, worried about security," said Cole Camp Police Officer Adam Leasure as he directed traffic Sunday at the
funeral of the town’s first-ever murder victims.
Taron Luetjen and her grandparents, 64-year-old Donnie Leutjen and 61-year-old Sharon Leutjen, were found shot to death inside their home Tuesday, June 9.
Police have not made any arrests or named any suspects.
"A lot of people have talked to me about putting in alarm systems when they didn't have alarm systems before,” Leasure said. “And locking their doors when they didn't lock them before.”
Crime scene tape still surrounded the house Sunday, serving for the community of about 1,100 as a constant reminder of the triple homicide that has many living in fear.
"People are locking the doors and not being out as much, especially when it's dark," said Cole Camp resident Lillie Stelling.
Stelling has volunteered at the Cole Camp Museum for several years. This weekend she didn't want to work alone.
"You don't usually think about one person being here at a time, but today you just feel like you don't want to be the only person," said Stelling.
Three law enforcement agencies are working the case. None will comment on the investigation.
Taron Luetjen and her grandparents were buried Monday morning.
