A routine search warrant led Missouri investigators to a rural property in Saline County — and what they found there would crack open the disappearance of 41-year-old Amber Simpson. Following tire tracks to a burn pit filled with chicken bones, detectives spotted something far more disturbing nearby: a human femur.
Who Is Amber Simpson?
Simpson was last seen on May 10 in Kansas City and was not reported missing until June 3. Arrest affidavits suggest she was already dead by the time anyone filed a missing persons report.
What Investigators Found
When cadaver dogs alerted to the burn pit on Damon Thomason’s property in rural Nelson, a forensic anthropologist was called in. The expert recovered numerous human bones from in and around the pile, noting the severe degradation was consistent with one or more fires burning over an extended period of time.
Investigators also found a hospital ID bracelet near the bones — belonging to the second suspect, Felix Watson, 30.
DNA extracted from one of the recovered bones was later confirmed to belong to Simpson.
Two Men Charged, But No Murder Charge Yet
Damon Thomason, 54, and Watson were both arrested on June 18. They currently face charges of abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence — but neither man has been charged with Simpson’s murder. Her cause and manner of death have not been officially released.
Both men gave vague and conflicting accounts to investigators. When confronted about his bracelet found near the bones, Watson claimed it must have been burned trash — then immediately asked for a lawyer.
Thomason allegedly told cops he suspected something was wrong but claimed he only told Watson to “go clean it up.”
Where the Case Stands
Both men remain in Saline County Jail. Their next court date is set for this Wednesday. Investigators have not yet named anyone in Simpson’s killing.