A Winona woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for her role in the murder of an Iowa man in 2023. Heather McClendon pleaded guilty in court to a reduced charge of tampering with physical evidence.
On December 14, 2023, investigators with the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control, the Johnson County (Iowa) Sheriff’s Office, the Winona (Missouri) Police Department, and the Shannon County (Missouri) Sheriff’s Office conducted a search of a logging road, located near Highway E, in Shannon County, Missouri. The search was conducted as part of an on-going investigation into the disappearance of Shawn Kiger, a Johnson County (Iowa) man, who was reported missing to both Missouri and Iowa officials on November 23, 2023.
Investigators learned that Kiger was near the location, off Highway E, around the time he went missing and may have been the victim of foul play. During the search, investigators discovered human remains, positively identified as Kiger. On December 14, 2023, investigators arrested Kyle E. Sebree, 32, and Heather D. McClendon, 41, both of Winona, Missouri, in connection with the murder of Kiger.
McClendon is stated to have told authorities she had bought a .22 caliber rifle at a local gun store for Sebree to use because he was a felon and was unable to buy guns. In a post-Miranda interview, McClendon told investigators Sebree had taken a silver Hi-Point .22 caliber pistol from her purse without telling her and used that gun to kill Kiger. After learning that, McClendon is said to have sold the gun to a man in Arkansas. She also told authorities Sebree had told her about tying Kiger up, putting him in the truck, taking him to the woods, and shooting him in the head.
Sebree is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.
