An Ozark County woman accused in her teenage daughter’s death made her first court appearance Monday. According to Ozark County Prosecuting Attorney John Garrabrant, 39-year-old Rebecca Ruud was arraigned on charges of first-degree murder, abuse of a child with an attachment charge of felony murder, tampering with evidence and abandoning a corpse.
Ruud originally reported her daughter, 16-year-old Savannah Leckie, missing on July 20th from the family farm on County Road 905 near Longrun. Human remains were found at the residence August 4th, and nearly two-and-a-half weeks later, investigators confirmed the remains were Leckie’s. Ruud was arrested by Ozark County deputies last Monday at the Greyhound bus station in Springfield where she reportedly bought a ticket to Kansas City.
Ruud’s husband, Robert Peat, Jr., is also considered a suspect in Leckie’s death, but no charges have been announced against him. It was reported by the bus service Peat had purchased a ticket to Memphis, but according to Springfield television station KYTV, he was seated in the courtroom Monday for Ruud’s arraignment. Peat did not give any comments.
During Monday’s court session, Ruud waived the formal reading of the charges against her. Garrabrant says she will enter her plea in future court proceedings.
The first-degree murder charge is a Class A felony under Missouri law, and its sentence could be the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. Garrabrant says it will be a long time before deciding on whether to seek the death penalty for Ruud.
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Ruud is currently being held without bond in the Ozark County Jail. A grand jury is expected to be empaneled September 5th, and a preliminary hearing is set for October 4th and 5th.
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