ANDERSON, MO. (THECOUNT) — Two bodies believed to be those of missing Missouri couple Leo and Katherine Lindeman were discovered Sunday in a heavily wooded area near their rural Anderson property, more than six weeks after they vanished. The couple’s small dog was found alive near the bodies, according to the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office.
The discovery was reported on Nov. 1, when a property owner called authorities after finding a body. A responding McDonald County deputy located a second body nearby, along with the dog. The couple’s small dog, Itty Bitty, had also disappeared when the Lindemans went missing in September.
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In a Nov. 2 press release, the Sheriff’s Office said the bodies were found in a wooded area adjacent to the property of a couple previously reported missing from the Dogwood Drive area of Anderson.
Authorities have not yet formally identified the remains. Identification is expected later this week, pending autopsy results and confirmation by the appropriate authorities.
Investigators believe Leo and Katherine disappeared from their rural property around Sept. 16. A family friend reported them missing to the Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 24 after they failed to attend a planned weekly dinner.
The couple’s niece, LaShawnda Lindeman, told NBC’s Dateline that a private drone operator from Arkansas joined relatives in searching the property on Sept. 28. The McDonald County Sheriff’s Office also searched the couple’s 15-acre property the following day, but found no sign of them.
LaShawnda said investigators have not determined the cause or manner of death for either individual. The investigation remains ongoing.
Dateline featured the Lindemans’ disappearance last week in its “Missing in America” digital series. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the McDonald County Dispatch Center at 417-223-4318.
The bodies were found in a wooded area near Dogwood Drive in Anderson, McDonald County, in southwestern Missouri near the Arkansas state line. The map shows the general area, not the precise discovery location.
Google Maps: Dogwood Drive area, Anderson, Missouri (approximate)
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