On 11/3/2020 at approximately 1:30 pm the Bates County Sheriff’s Office received a call of an article of clothing that was found near a bean field in rural southwest Bates County. The article of clothing potentially had human remains with it. Detectives from the Bates County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control responded to the area. Once it was confirmed that the items were in fact human remains the Detectives contacted Bates County Coroner Greg Mullinax. Coroner Mullinax began working to coordinate with the Forensic Anthropologist to respond and assist in recovery of the human remains.
At approximately 730 pm a team of Forensic Anthropologists from Washburn University out of Topeka Kansas arrived on scene. A team consisting of the Bates County Coroner, Detectives from the Bates County Sheriff’s Office, Detectives from Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Anthropologist began the task of recovering the human remains. At approximately midnight the human remains were recovered and were turned over to the Coroner to conduct a forensic autopsy and to identify the remains.
On 11/6/2020 the investigative teams from the Bates County Sheriff's Office, Bates County Coroner's Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol attended the Forensic Autopsy of the unidentified human remains recovered on 11/3/2020. This afternoon it was forensicly confirmed that the human remains belong to Nicole S Mallatt. Ms. Mallatt was reported to law enforcement to be missing on 11/29/2019. Mallatt was last seen alive near her residence in rural Butler Missouri on 11/26/2019.
Ms. Mallatt's remains will now be transferred to Washburn University in Topeka Kansas to be examined by a team of Forensic Anthropologists to determine the cause of death.
We ask for prayers for the family and friends of Nicole Mallatt. Nicole leaves behind 4 children who lived with her in the home.
This is continues to be an active and ongoing investigation and there is nothing further to be released at this point.
