FAIR GROVE, Mo. — After two car chases in the Springfield, Mo., area, police arrested a man they believe may be connected to the death of Khighla Parks, 15, whose body was found in Truman Lake near Warsaw, Mo., on Sept. 30.
Police arrested Anthony Balbirnie, 47, on Monday. Balbirnie led Springfield police on a chase through a section of Springfield before getting away. Later, Green County deputies pursued him in a second chase that ended when Balbirnie’s car gave out. Police arrested him but have not released what, if any, evidence links him to Parks’ murder. A report from KSPR in Springfield said Balbirnie and Parks were Facebook friends.
Parks was last seen around 5 p.m. on Sept. 20, walking near her home in Willard, Mo. Willard is located about 10 miles northwest of Springfield. Parks’ remains were found floating in shallow water Sunday, Sept. 30, near One Mile Bridge in Warsaw. A couple fishing discovered her remains.
During the initial investigation, police said Park’s body appeared to have been weighted down.
Balbirnie lives in the Springfield area and has been arrested in the past for drug possession and resisting arrest.
While Parks’ body was found in Truman Lake, police said they believe she was killed in another location. They have not released her cause of death.
