Mountain Home, MO. – On August 15, 2024, the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a nude body floating down Moccasin Creek early in the morning. They were unable to identify the body or the cause of death at the time. After an examination of the body on August 17, 2024, the deceased male was determined to be 50-year-old Rickey Joe Milsap of Mountain Home.
In a report released yesterday, August 28, 2024, the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office announced the results of the autopsy. The Arkansas State Medical Examiner stated that the autopsy revealed foul play. Milsap’s death is now being treated as a homicide.
The Baxter County Sheriff’s Office and other area law enforcement agencies have been actively investigating the death since the body was discovered and investigators have been procuring search warrants and collecting forensic evidence.
Rickey Joe Milsap had not been seen since August 9, 2024, but he was never reported missing. In the press release the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office stated, “Due to the ongoing criminal investigation, additional details cannot be released at this time.”
Law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation are the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas State Police, Mountain Home Police Department, and the Izard County Sheriff’s Office. Anyone having information concerning the death of RICKEY JOE MILLSAP is asked to contact the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division in person, by phone at (870) 425-7000, or by emailing CID Lieutenant Brad Hurst at: bhurst@baxtercountysheriff.com Tips can also be made through the Sheriff’s Office website and mobile app.