An Ozark County woman accused of killing her daughter nearly five years ago has been acquitted of all but one charge. On Friday, Greene County Circuit Judge Calvin Holden found Rebecca Ruud not guilty of first- and second-degree murder, abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death and tampering with physical evidence. Ruud was convicted of abandonment of a corpse.
Former Ozark County Sheriff Darrin Reed, the lead investigator and one of the prosecution’s witnesses in the case, posted on Facebook, “Words cannot express my feelings today. I feel like my heart has been pulled from my chest. As the lead investigator in this case, I feel we have not done justice for Savannah. I have worked many homicides in my career and this case was a total failure. I can talk now knowing the facts on this case. What a failure in the judicial system. Plain and simple, I can die knowing she is guilty of murdering that poor child without a doubt. We let a murderer walk.”
Ruud was accused of murdering her daughter, 16-year-old Savannah Leckie, and disposing of her body in a burn pile on her off-the-grid farm near Theodosia in the summer of 2017. She was indicted by an Ozark County grand jury in Sept. 2017 along with her husband, Robert Peat Jr. Peat’s next court appearance is expected in mid-August.
Ruud is expected to be sentenced in September on the abandonment charge.
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