KANSAS, Okla. — The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation announced that two individuals have been charged with murder in connection with a 2014 cold case in Delaware County.
On May 15, 2014, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office requested the OSBI investigate the suspicious disappearance of 20-year-old Dustin Ray Carver. Carver was last seen earlier that year at a residence in Kansas, Oklahoma.
Authorities served a search warrant at the property, uncovering a burn pile containing human remains. The remains were sent to the Medical Examiner’s Office for processing.
In July 2025, the Clinton County Missouri Sheriff’s Office provided new information in the case, following a tip from an inmate identified as 42-year-old James Merritt Larson Jr.
The OSBI investigation revealed that Larson Jr. and 40-year-old Penny Larson were responsible for Carver’s death.
On September 12, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office issued arrest warrants for both suspects. Penny Larson was arrested on September 17 and booked into the Clinton County Missouri Jail. James Larson Jr. was already in custody on unrelated charges through the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Both have been formally charged with first-degree murder in Delaware County District Court.
