Arrest made in 19-year-old murder with help from local law enforcement
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Northwest Missouri law enforcement played a key role in the recent arrest of a man accused of killing his wife nearly two decades ago in Georgia.
In a news release, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) announced the arrest of Jon Worrell, a resident of Maryville, Missouri. Worrell was taken into custody at his home without incident.
On September 20, 2006, Worrell's former wife, Doris Worrell, was found shot inside the couple's family-owned business in Georgia. The investigation later revealed Jon Worrell had been having an affair with the couple's then-18-year-old nanny, Paola Yarberry.
In recent years, Yarberry began cooperating with authorities, significantly contributing to Worrell's arrest.
"Sheriff Cole with the Coffee County Sheriff's Office and Investigator Julian with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation contacted us, the Nodaway County Sheriff's Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol, saying they were close to obtaining an arrest warrant for the suspect involved in this cold case," said Nodaway County Sheriff Austin Hann. "They knew him to be in Nodaway County and once the warrant was secured, we all worked together on an operations plan."
Worrell's arrest comes just one month after the launch of Governor Kehoe's Operation Relentless Pursuit, a Missouri initiative targeting fugitives with outstanding felony warrants.
According to state law enforcement, 148 fugitives have been arrested or assisted in arrest through the operation, 112 directly by ORP officers and 36 in collaboration with other agencies. These arrests cleared 251 outstanding warrants.
"This is an excellent opportunity to showcase our ability to work together in Northwest Missouri and the state as a whole," Hann said. "No agency can do everything alone. I give full credit to Coffee County and the Georgia agencies; they did the legwork and we supported them where we could."
The arrest of Worrell involved multiple agencies: the GBI, Coffee County Sheriff's Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, Nodaway County Sheriff's Office, and the Maryville Department of Public Safety.
Worrell is charged with malice murder, felony murder, conspiracy to commit murder and aggravated battery in connection with his wife's death.
While some murder cases can remain unsolved for years, law enforcement stresses that cold cases are never forgotten.
"One thing people should remember is that even the smallest piece of information can be what cracks a case," Hann added. "In this case, it just took one person coming forward to change the direction of the investigation."
According to the GBI, the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Douglas at (912) 389-4103 or the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office at (912) 384-4227.
