LABETTE COUNTY, Kan. (KAKE) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has located the body of the missing 23-year-old from Labette County.

Police found Dakota Patton's body on May 8, around 11:40 a.m. in a field near 20th Road and Xavier Rd in Parsons.

The people have been arrested in connection to Patton's death after it was found that he died from an apparent gunshot wound. 

Thirty-two-year-old Clint Nibarger and 47-year-old Kimberly Thomas, both of Parsons, were arrested in Hollister, Missouri, for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were booked into Taney County Jail. 

The investigation is ongoing. 

Clint Nibarger (left) and Kimberly Thomas
Clint Nibarger (left) and Kimberly Thomas  

 

Previous updates:

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Labette County Sheriff’s Office are still searching for Dakota A. Patton.

The 23-year-old man from Labette County was last seen the evening of April 25, in Parsons, Kansas. Police say foul play is suspected in Patton’s disappearance.

Patton’s vehicle was located abandoned in a field in rural Labette County. Patton was also reported missing on April 27.

Patton is a white man. He is 5 ft. 11 in. tall and weighs around 230 lbs. He has brown hair, blue eyes, and facial hair. Patton was likely wearing blue jeans, a grey sweatshirt, and boots.

KBI agents believe Patton may have last been in an area along the Neosho River _ between 20th Rd. and Wallace Rd., and 60th Rd. and Wallace Rd.

Investigators ask fishermen, hunters, farmers, and hikers who frequent this area to report anything suspicious they encounter that may be connected to Patton’s disappearance.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Dakota Patton, you can contact the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Labette County Sheriff’s Office at 620-795-2565. Anonymous tips can be made online here. 

The investigation is ongoing.

There's concern for the health and safety of a southeast Kansas man who was reported missing a week ago. Dakota Patton, 23, was last seen on April 25, 2023, in Labette County. 

An emergency alert shared through the City of Parsons said Dakota’s vehicle was found near the 18000 and Quaker Road area -- a rural northeast part of Labette County -- between Labette and Parsons. KOAM News reports Dakota’s vehicle was found in a field with two blown tires. Advocates with Facebook group Kansas Missing and Unsolved said the vehicle appeared to be dragged to the middle of the field. It also shares that Dakota has a special health condition, and he’s in need of medication.

The Labette County Sheriff said he was not able to comment on the case right now, but did share the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the case. KAKE News has requested for additional details from the KBI.

DAKOTA PATTON

Missing from: Labette County, Kan.

Missing since: April 25, 2023

Age then: 23

Height: 6’00’’

Weight: 220 pounds

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Blue

If you have information that could help the case, call the Labette County Sheriff’s Office at (913) 596-3000 or the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (785) 296-4017. You can also submit an anonymous tip to the KBI by clicking here.

KAKE News features the story of a missing person every weekday in our morning and evening newscasts. If you have a person you’d like for us to share a story about, please contact Anchor Annette Lawless at [email protected].