Photos submitted of Ira Briscoe. Collage credit: The Charley Project
Familial reference standards have confirmed that remains found in August 2024 in Howell County (Missouri) are those of Ira Briscoe, a 25-year-old man who went missing in December 2020 under suspicious circumstances.
Additional skeletal remains were found at the same site as Briscoe but have not yet been identified. The Howell County Sheriff’s Office said the second set of remains will be submitted to a private laboratory for further DNA testing. Many in the community anticipate the identification will confirm the remains belong to Limon Little, Briscoe’s roommate.
Little went missing on Dec. 15, 2020—just two days before Briscoe.
Remains and DNA
On Aug. 10, 2024, two skeletal remains were found, wrapped and dumped in a cistern in rural Lanton, Miss. At the time, inclement weather prevented the full exhumation of the remains for four days.
Speculation began immediately in the small community that the remains belonged to Briscoe and Little, but the Howell County Sheriff’s Office said it would take time to confirm identification.
The remains were submitted to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab, along with reference standards obtained from Rodney and Marilyn Briscoe. On March 18, 2025, the lab confirmed the comparison yielded a 99.9999999999% likelihood the recovered remains are the biological child of Rodney and Marilyn Briscoe.
Marilyn has taken an active role in the search for her son, and has been a vocal critic of local law enforcement—especially when it comes to communication.
Case background
One week after a missing persons’ report was made for Briscoe, detectives thought they had a significant break in the case when they located his car at a scrap yard. The police also thought Briscoe’s disappearance could be connected to a shooting that occurred between Briscoe’s acquaintances just a day before he went missing.
The Sheriff’s Office did execute search warrants, subpoenas and more than 100 interviews for the still-open homicide case. They’ve also made nine arrests in connection with the case—all on unrelated charges. No one has been directly charged in the disappearance of Briscoe and Little, but the Howell County Sheriff’s Office has said the arrests have been used to move the investigation forward.
Very little is known about Little and his life. Investigators were initially hesitant to connect Briscoe and Little, unsure if they and their cases were connected. Still today, a Missouri State Highway Patrol missing flyer refers to Little as a “possible roommate” of Briscoe.
Additionally, there have been no statements from Little’s friends or family, and seemingly one photograph shared online—a drastic difference compared to Briscoe’s extensive media coverage. But, the Howell County Sheriff’s Office said they contacted Little’s next of kin to advise her of the investigation update after Briscoe’s remains were positively identified.
The Howell County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the case will continue as a homicide investigation.