Unsolved Disappearance 

Charles "Arlin" Henderson, 11, went missing on July 25, 1991, from Moscow Mills, Missouri. 

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At about 5:00-5:30 p.m., Charles was last seen riding his bicycle in his family's mobile home park, located in Moscow Mills, about an hour north of St. Louis. He was never seen again.

Three months later, Charles's yellow and white bicycle was found in a bean field on North Ethlyn Road, only five miles from his home. Police took the bike into evidence and found a set of fingerprints on the frame that they have been unable to identify to date. 

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In 2001, ten years after Charles vanished, a man named Joshua Spangler came forward and confessed to murdering Charles. Spangler would have been only 13 years old at the time of the murder. 

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Spangler said he had been into drug activity with two older boys, George Gibson and his older brother Charles "Chuckie" Gibson. Spangler claimed he sold drugs for them. Spangler told police that a member of Charles's family owed the Gibson brothers money and they paid $10,000 for Spangler to kill him to send the Henderson family a message. The Gibson's were both initially charged for their involvement but they were later dropped.

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Spangler claimed he was riding in a truck with the Gibson brothers and they proceeded to abduct him. They transported him to house in Davis, Missouri, and kept him there for a few days. Spangler claimed he shot Charles in the head with a 9M pistol in a creek bed on July 28th, then they buried his body along the Mississippi River.

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Authorities dropped the charges against the Gibson brothers in October 2001 after learning Spangler had lied. There were several discrepancies in Spangler's account of the alleged murder and authorities charged Spangler with perjury and sentenced him to seven years in prison.

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There have been other developments in the case that you can read about here: Charles "Arlin" Henderson: Police Reveal New Information in 1991 Case.

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If you have any information about the disappearance of Charles "Arlin" Henderson, please contact the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office at 314-528-8546.

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