Remains Of Missing Mother Turn Up Near Bean Field Almost One Year After She Disappeared

Human remains found in a rural part of Missouri south of Kansas City this week have been identified as a local mother who went missing nearly one year ago, authorities have confirmed.

Law enforcement officers responded on the afternoon of Nov. 3 to a report of possible human remains spotted near a bean field in a rural area of Bates County, the Bates County Sheriff’s Office announced in a recent news release. Detectives with the sheriff’s office, along with members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control, examined the scene and concluded that there were, in fact, human remains near discarded clothing, as the initial report stated. A team of local forensic anthropologists, as well as the Bates County coroner and other agencies, spent hours carefully removing the remains. On Friday, the results of a forensic autopsy revealed that the remains were of missing mother Nicole Mallatt.

Nicole Mallatt Photo: Bates County Sheriff's Office

Mallatt, 36, was last seen alive near her home in Butler, Missouri on Nov. 26, 2019, and was reported missing three days later. Mallatt’s mother told KCTV that her daughter had been looking forward to Thanksgiving before she went missing. 

“She planned a big meal. She called me getting recipes and was happy and was excited,” she told the station.

In early December 2019, authorities discovered Mallatt’s phone, wallet, and backpack near where she was last seen alive, according to a KCTV report. However, authorities hesitated to deem the case a homicide, and have still yet to do so. Her official cause of death is pending another examination by a team of forensic anthropologists at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Mallatt’s family told FOX4 that the results of the autopsy may take between 14 and 18 months, but they're willing to wait in order to ensure everything is done properly.

Sarah Messick, Mallatt’s sister-in-law, told FOX4 that she spoke with her two days before she went missing. During that conversation, Mallatt asked if she could stay at her house for a few days.

“That’s what raised a red flag for us,” Messick told the outlet. “Like, why do you need to get out? And I didn’t get it out of her.”

Mallatt was living with her longtime boyfriend and children at the time of her disappearance, according to FOX4. She leaves behind four kids, authorities said.

“We’re not going to stop, just like we didn’t stop looking for her. We’re not going to stop fighting to figure out what happened and get justice,” Messick said.

Mallatt’s death is considered an open and active investigation, according to the sheriff’s office