Additional arrest made in Leckie murder, mother indicted

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A second arrest has been made in the death of a 16-year-old Ozark County teen. Ozark County Sheriff Darrin Reed confirmed late Wednesday 31-year-old Robert Peat Jr. was arrested Wednesday afternoon and is being held in the Ozark County Jail, along with his wife, Rebecca Ruud.The arrest follows an Ozark County grand jury indicting the pair Wednesday on charges relating to the murder of Ruud’s 16-year-old biological daughter, Savannah Leckie.
Both Ruud and Peat are being held without bond.The Ozark County Times reports the indictment filed Wednesday in Ozark County court says the grand jury charges that Ruud and Peat “knowingly caused the death of Savannah Leckie by unknown means” on or about July 18 and “knowingly disposed of the corpse of Savannah Leckie…without properly reporting the location of the body to the proper law enforcement officials.”
After convening for what is believed to be the third time since first convening September 5, the grand jury issued indictments for Peat and Ruud.  A news release from Sheriff Reed says the two were indicted on the charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, abuse of a child resulting in death, tampering with evidence and abandoning a corpse. Judge Cynthia MacPherson’s docket sheet says that the jurors were unanimous in their decision to issue the indictments.
The 39-year-old Ruud has been in custody since August 21 after Ozark County Prosecuting Attorney John Garrabrant filed a criminal case against her, and Ozark County officers detained her at a Springfield bus station, where she was reportedly attempting to board a bus to leave the area.Peat had bought a bus ticket and left for Memphis on August 20; however, he had returned to the area and appeared at Rudd’s arrignment. Now that Ruud has been indicted by the grand jury, the original case against her filed by Garrabrant is expected to be dismissed.

The Ozark County Times reports having grand jury indictments means both cases will skip the preliminary hearing phase of the court process and will go straight to Ozark County Circuit Court. Ruud and Peat are scheduled to be arraigned before Judge Craig Carter Monday.

Ruud gave birth to Leckie in 2001 in Minnesota, but the little girl was adopted a few months later by Tamile Leckie-Montague and her then-husband, David Leckie. Savannah Leckie grew up in Minnesota. After her adoptive parents’ divorce, she continued to live with her adoptive mother until August 2016, when a conflict developed with her mother’s boyfriend, and she moved to Ozark County to live with Ruud on her remote, 81-acre farm near Theodosia.

Ruud called the Ozark County Sheriff’s office July 20 to report her daughter missing. An extensive search began, and on August 4, investigators found what turned out to be burned human remains on Ruud’s property. Later, the remains were identified as Leckie’s.

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