Man arrested in Bloomington on Missouri murder warrant

Posted on September 25, 2017

Deacon Zelch was booked at the McLean County Jail on Monday. (Photo courtesy McLean County Jail)

By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – Officers with the U.S. Marshals Service arrested a man in Bloomington on Sunday on a warrant charging him with first-degree murder in Missouri.

Police arrested Deacon Zelch, 40, at a home where he has been staying in the 100 block of Van Schoick St. at 1:15 p.m. and booked him at the McLean County Jail, according to county jail records.

Police in the east-central Missouri town of Bourbon reported the death of a 28-year-old Crawford County Missouri man, Edward Hillhouse, on Wednesday and identified Zelch as a person of interest in the case. Hillhouse had been missing since April 2016.

Police had said Zelch frequently visited Crawford County and they said Zelch was believed to be armed and dangerous.

Police haven’t said when Zelch might be brought to Missouri to face charges.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

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