Story Created:
Nov 10, 2007 at 1:41 PM CST
Story Updated:
Nov 10, 2007 at 5:40 PM CST
Barry County prosecutors have charged two men with the rape and murder of 9-year-old Rowan Ford.
David Wesley Spears and Christopher Leroy Collings are charged with first degree murder, forcible rape and statutory rape.
Rowan's body was found Friday morning in a sinkhole near Powell, Mo. A McDonald County deputy, acting on a hunch, found her body in area he knew searchers had not looked.
Ford disappeared November 2 from her home in Stella. Hundreds of lawmen and the FBI searched Newton, McDonald and Barry counties.
Throughout the week, Spears had maintained his innocence and said he had nothing to do with Ford's disappearance. In interviews with the media, he told reporters he loved Ford like his own daughter, but admitted he erred when he left her alone in their home Friday evening around 10:45 p.m. Spears said he went out drinking and driving with friends and returned to the home around midnight. Authorities had said they were bothered by inconsistencies in Spears' story.
Family members confirm Collings was with Spears the night Ford disappeared.
Authorities said the murder occurred in Barry County. Collings and Spears are being held without bond.
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