A federal prosecutor reported Thursday that a southeast Missouri man told his father he was guilty of murdering his own wife. Clay Waller, who was a suspect in his wife’s disappearance, told his father that he killed his wife and dumped her body in a hole, St. Louis News KSDK reported.

Jacque Waller, a 39-year-old mother of 5-year-old triplets from the southeast Missouri town of Cape Girardeau, has been missing since June 1, according to the Associated Press. Jacques family had suspected that Clay was involved in her disappearance. “It wasn’t any big shock to us. We’ve known about this for two and a half months,” said Stan Rawson, Jacque’s father.

According to KSDK, police told Jacque’s parents about Clay’s confession immediately after Clay confided in his father. Jacque’s parents said that in addition to the police telling them, Clay’s father told them directly. “He’s worried about Clay. He wants Clay to get mental help. He says the boy’s crazy. That’s what he told me,” said Mr. Rawson.

Clay initially denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance and said that authorities were on a “witch hunt” to accuse him. In July, Waller told the Southeast Missourian, that he thought his wife had been abducted off of Interstate 55, where her blue Honda Pilot was found abandoned in the hours after she was discovered missing.

Since her disappearance, authorities and volunteers have looked for Jacque Waller. Hundreds of people have searched ponds, woods, and construction sites where Clay worked, the AP reported. According to KSDK, Clay is currently in jail on federal charges of making a death threat online to his sister in law, Cheryl. He also faces other charges on stealing and harassment.

Chief James Humphreys said he’s still in the process of building that case of Jacque’s disappearance. 

”We haven’t found Jacque. We haven’t found our victim. We’re going to focus on that before we go forward with prosecutors for charges,” said Chief Humphreys. Clay’s confession is helpful to the search party’s efforts.

They now have a better idea of which areas to search in. “The comment is helpful because it makes us think that she’s on land, not water,” said Lt. David James. On August 17, an article on Gather.com reported that a team of divers searched a nearby pond for Jacque’s body. The massive body of water measured nearly 40 feet deep.

As the search for her body continues, Clay remains locked behind bars. Authorities say he is due back in court on Monday.

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

About the author

Mary Duke
My interests are publishing, literature, storytelling, current events and multimedia. I am concerned with issues of social justice and encouraging community engagement. I am pursuing a Master's in arts administration. I enjoy reading, writing and hiking.

Related Posts

The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard Provide their Content to AP Customers

The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard, the two premier entertainment media brands of Prometheus Global Media (PGM), are making their content available worldwide for use on digital platforms to customers of The Associated Press. Starting...