Man confesses to shooting, burning missing Ottumwan

A man who lives near Ollie confessed to shooting in the face a man reported missing last month from Ottumwa, and he faces charges of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, state investigators said Friday.

Jeffrey Gautreaux, 44, who stayed with his stepfather at 21891 Highway 78 near Ollie in Southeast Iowa, was charged after investigators conducted a search of the property Thursday and found remains they believe to be of Craig Dee Smith, 40, of Ottumwa. Smith was reported missing Jan. 20 by a roommate who told police he had not heard from Smith for two weeks, the Ottumwa Courier reported.

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According to a criminal complaint, a sister of Smith’s told detectives she saw him Jan. 7 at her home in Richland. He had gotten a call from a friend who wanted him to fix a car, the sister said, but he said he first had to drop off a sport utility vehicle to Gautreaux. The SUV was registered to Gautreaux’s stepdad.

Detectives said in the complaint that data show Smith’s cellphone traveled that day from Richland to Gautreaux’s house near Ollie and was used once there. But then records show that usage stopped at 6:34 p.m. The phone was not powered up again until Jan. 17, when it was still at the residence, the complaint shows.

Investigators conducted a search of the property Thursday and found remains outside the house they believe to be of Smith. The State Anthropologist, the Office of the State Medical Examiner and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation were working to make a positive identification.

According the criminal complaint, Gautreaux told a DCI agent that he, his stepfather and Smith were at the home near Ollie on Jan. 7 for several hours. He said he aimed a shotgun at Smith and pulled the trigger, shooting him in the face. Gautreaux said he then attempted to burn Smith's body to conceal the crime.

Investigators did not reveal a motive for the murder.

The DCI said that Gautreaux and his stepfather, Steven Grant, 63, were arrested on drug charges. Grant was released, the DCI said, and the murder charge was filed against Gautreaux. The agency said the investigation continues.

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