Pleasanton man pleads guilty to abandoning a corpse in Bates County

Damon Leonard, 47, of Pleasanton, KS appeared in the Bates County Circuit Court on Friday where he pleaded guilty to one count of Abandonment Of A Corpse { Felony E RSMo: 194.425 } in a case regarding the death of 13 year old Airen Andula, also of Pleasanton.

Shortly after the investigation began, Leonard admitted that he had transported the body of the child from Kansas to Missouri and then led deputies to the location of the body that was located in a rural area in southwest Bates County.

Further investigation revealed that Andula was mauled to death by a dogs owned by Leonard just before Christmas, 2025.

Leonard will be sentenced in the Bates County Circuit Court on May 29th at 3 pm.

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