Law enforcement officials are searching for a man missing from the West Plains area since Dec. 2.
Levi Daniel Gunter, 41, was last seen that day at his home in West Plains, reported the Howell County Sheriff’s Office in a statement posted to social media. It is unknown what clothing he was wearing or what vehicle he may have been in, said authorities.
Gunter is is white, with brown hair and green eyes, and he reportedly stands 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds.
According to a weekly report disseminated by the sheriff’s office, Deputy Kyle Parrish took a missing person report on the morning of Dec. 20, filed by by the man’s mother, who said he was last seen at 10 p.m. Dec. 2 at his home on AB Highway.
Gunter is scheduled to appear for a jury trial beginning July 29 as a defendant in double-homicide case that occurred in May 2020, according to the most recent publicly available court records logged Oct. 4. Records also show he posted bond of $100,000 in that case on Aug. 21. The case is to be tried in the courtroom of 37th Circuit Presiding Judge Steven Privette.
Gunter is one of three suspects initially charged in connection with the May 5, 2020, shooting deaths of Richard Kuntz, 30, of West Plains, and Frankie Ziegler, 28, Mtn. View. Codefendant Kyla Croney was originally charged with two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of armed criminal action and two counts of first-degree attempted robbery, but pleaded guilty in December 2021 to a Class E felony count of attempted possession of a controlled substance, for which she was sentenced to four years in prison by Privette.
Joey Marcak, the other codefendant, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action and a count of first-degree attempted robbery. Prosecutors have stated their intention to seek the death penalty in his case, which is set to go to jury trial for a three-week period beginning June 10, court records show. The trial is to be overseen by Presiding 44th Circuit Judge R. Craig Carter in Greene County.
Anyone with information as to Gunter’s whereabouts is asked to call the Howell County Sheriff’s Office at 417-256-2544, or drop by in person at the office, 1106 Missouri Ave. in West Plains.
