Lexington, Mo. – At Lexington, Missouri, a sixth member of a family has now been charged with sex crimes against children within that same family. The latest allegations are against 72 year old Darrel Wayne Mohler of Silver Springs, Florida. He is brother to one defendant and uncle to four others.
The men allegedly raped and otherwise sexually abused children as young as 5 years old, dating into the 1980's. Darrel Mohler is not under arrest. Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh told reporters -- " I urge Darrel to turn himself in so we can actually talk to him and get his take on what's going here. And so we can actually get this investigation further down the road."
Darrel Mohler watched in court earlier in the week as his brother and nephews were arraigned on sex charges. The counts range from forcible sodomy to rape and to use of a child in a sexual performance. He called the crimes "unspeakable." Now he is sought and charged.
A Kansas City man arrested earlier for questioning has been freed. He is said to be cooperating in the investigation.
Sheriff Alumbaugh refused to answer reporters' questions about a search of a farm near Bates City, Mo. that the family once owned. Alleged victims are believed to have written accounts of ordeals and buried them in glass mason jars on the farm. Investigators used earthmoving equipment earlier in the week to hunt for evidence.
Some news conference audio courtesy KMBC TV-9