Detectives verified information, reconstructed large portions of case; physical evidence remains minimal

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

The Barry County Sheriff’s Office hosted a public press conference on Tuesday to discuss details of the murder of Justin Hocutt, as the Office made three arrests in the cold case last week.

Danny Boyd, Barry County sheriff, said 27 years after 14-year-old Justin Hocutt was found dead on railroad tracks in Seligman in October 1999, three men have been charged with first-degree murder following a renewed investigation by the Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Boyd announced on July 23 that Mark Scott, Bobby Scott and David Scott, stepbrothers to Hocutt’s girlfriend at the time, have each been charged with first-degree murder in Hocutt’s death. Authorities allege Hocutt was fatally assaulted at a Seligman residence before his body was placed on the railroad tracks in an attempt to conceal the crime.

“Justin was found deceased on the rail tracks in Seligman, Missouri, on October 10, 1999,” Boyd said. “He was only 14 years old. His death was quickly determined to be a homicide, and the Scott brothers were identified early in the investigation as suspects.”

The brothers were born in 1977, 1978 and 1980, all legal adults at the time of the alleged crime.

The arrests follow an extensive review launched after Boyd took office. Boyd said his administration began a comprehensive reexamination of the case in the fall of 2025, with investigators reviewing every report, document and piece of evidence collected during the original investigation.

“As we reviewed the original case, it became clear that investigators faced more than passage of time,” he said. “We identified significant deficiencies in the original investigation that required us to revisit evidence, locate witnesses, verify information and reconstruct large portions of this case.”

Boyd emphasized that while law enforcement could not change what happened in 1999, investigators were determined to ensure every available lead was pursued using modern investigative techniques.

Boyd credited Lt. Gary Allen, Evidence Technician Sarah Miner, Maj. Angela Cole, Sgt. Abby Parsons, Det. Jeremy Berner and Det. Billy Forester for dedicating hundreds of hours to reviewing evidence, re-interviewing witnesses and rebuilding the case.

“We believed from the very beginning that this case could be solved,” Boyd said.

In February 2026, the sheriff’s office requested assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. 

“We brought the Highway Patrol in because we knew we had some [involved in the case] that lived out of state, and it was hard for us to interview them,” Boyd said. “So, we brought in the Highway Patrol to help us with that.”

Master Sgt. J.L. Mason, with the Patrol, said investigators essentially started over.

“At that time, we started from square one,” he said. “Any individual that was identified as a previous witness or suspect in the investigation, we went out and conducted additional interviews with all those individuals.”

Although the Scott brothers are now in custody, with two awaiting extradition form Arkansas, Mason stressed the investigation remains active.

“We’re looking for any additional witnesses, anybody that’s willing to provide information or evidence in the case,” he said.

One of the biggest obstacles, Mason said, was overcoming fear among potential witnesses.

“I will tell you that the Scott family has been a big part of the Seligman community for a long time,” Mason said. “They were known to be violent individuals, and I can tell you that some of those witnesses were afraid to come forward.”

Since the arrests were announced, investigators have already begun hearing from additional people willing to cooperate.

“I received a phone call the day after that they were arrested, and somebody is willing to cooperate in the investigation,” Mason said.

Boyd also said fear complicated the investigation when detectives attempted to revisit witnesses.

“A lot of the people we contacted are like, ‘Do I have to come to court? Because these guys are out. I worry about fear for me and my family,'” he said. “But once we got them arrested, I think folks realized that yes, we are legit and we are going to arrest them and we are going to seek justice for Justin.”

Investigators said advances in investigative practices also played a major role in the recent arrests.

While some physical evidence was resubmitted to crime laboratories using modern testing methods, Boyd said the available evidence remains minimal after more than two decades.

“We had to resend some stuff back to the lab because, over 26 years, things changed,” Boyd said. “We do have some stuff there, but it’s very limited.”

In response to another question from the crowd later in the conference, Mason said he is not aware of any DNA evidence playing any role in the case now versus the original investigation in 1999. 

Jordan Troutman, current co-owner and General Manager of the Cassville Democrat who wrote a four-part series on Hocutt’s murder in October 2020, asked specifically about the lack of blood on the train tracks, as originally reported in her series. That lack of physical evidence led authorities at the time to believe Hocutt was already deceased when placed on the train tracks, but the probable cause statement in David Scott’s case says, “While reviewing the autopsy report, the doctor determined that based on medical evidence observed at the time of the autopsy, Hocutt was alive at the time he was placed on the railroad tracks and struck by a train.”

“I am not at liberty to discuss the current investigation or the pending charges against those individuals; there was certainly blood on the on the train tracks,” Mason replied. “There’s no doubt about that. But, I certainly wouldn’t dispute the amount of or lack thereof, or the amount of blood that was located on the tracks at the time of Justin’s death.”

Mason said today’s investigative standards also allowed officers to gather more comprehensive witness statements than were documented during the original investigation.

“What we found during the original investigation is that many witnesses were contacted,” he said. “I think there was a tremendous amount of effort that was put into the original investigation. However, the reporting process that was in place back then did not capture detailed information that would help in prosecuting these individuals.”

Mason added that investigators relied on prior reports as a starting point but sought fresh interviews with nearly everyone connected to the case. Mason also noted the original investigation was led by the railroad police because Hocutt’s body was found on railroad tracks.

“This is not an investigation that I believe would typically be investigated by the railroad,” Mason said. “This is probably an incident that should have been investigated by the local agency here, and I think that may have played a role into why we’re here 27 years later.”

Barry County Prosecutor Amy Boxx said charges were filed after her office reviewed the newly completed investigation and probable cause statements.

“Thanks to the joint efforts of the Barry County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol, we are finally able to seek justice for the Hocutt family,” she said.

David Scott, born 1977, of Pineville, is currently being held in the Barry County Jail on no bond after being arraigned, and is scheduled for a bond hearing on Aug. 11 in the courtroom of Judge Robert Foulke.

Mark Scott, born 1980, of Little Rock, Ark., and Bobby Scott, born 1978, of Little Rock, Ark., were both arrested in  Pulaski County, Ark. Mark has waived extradition and local authorities are planning a time to pick him up for said extradition. Boxx said he should appear in court with 48 hours of being booked into the Barry County jail.

Bobby chose not waive extradition, Boxx said, and her office has 60 days to get a Governor’s Warrant to have him extradited to Barry County.

Boyd said though he was not present for all the interviews with the three Scott brother, their reactions to being charged were similar.

“I wasn’t there for that interview [with David Scott], but the other [two’s reactions were] pretty typical,” he said. “They’re denying any part of it. But, that’s pretty common. And after 26 years, I would think that if I got by with it this long, nothing’s going to happen. But they’re wrong.”

Skip White, former Barry County coroner, praised Boyd for fulfilling a campaign promise to reopen the investigation.

“When Danny ran for sheriff, he made the promise that he would open this case up, and he did exactly that,” White said. “I always thought this case was solvable.”

Boyd said solving the case has been a priority since he first took office.

“I got elected in 2020, and the very first thing they asked is, ‘Are you going to open this case up?'” Boyd said. “Yes, we were willing to do that.”

Though it ultimately took six years, Boyd said investigators never stopped believing justice was possible.

“This is a huge accomplishment, not only for the Sheriff’s Office, but for the Hocutt family,” he said.

Multiple members of the Hocutt family were in attendance at the press conference.

Boyd concluded the news conference by reminding those in attendance that criminal charges are allegations and that all three defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Still, he said the case sends a message that violent crimes will not simply disappear with time.

“Time does not ease responsibility,” Boyd said. “No matter how many years have passed, this sheriff’s office will continue to pursue justice for victims and their families.”