Justice Unresolved is a series of articles examining cold cases, disappearances and unsolved crimes that continue to haunt families and communities in America. The stories revisit the known facts, unanswered questions and latest developments in cases where the search for truth is far from over.
Marilyn Briscoe fought for years to bring the truth to the spotlight after her son, Ira Briscoe, from Howell County, Missouri, went missing in 2020. Then, in March 2025, familial reference standards confirmed that remains found in August 2024 in Howell County were those of Ira, who was 25 years old when he disappeared.
While the identification of the remains did give Ira’s family a certain kind of closure, the fight is far from over. Ira’s alleged killer(s) has not been identified or caught, and a family friend says that authorities have “deemed the case a cold case.”
The family friend, Christi Nichols-Clarke, who is close to Ira’s mother, has spoken out about the case in a conversation with HindustanTimes.com.
“No one has ever been arrested in connection with this case,” Christi, whose children went to school at Glenwood Elementary School with Ira, said. “Authorities did question multiple people and unfortunately it led them to dead ends.”
“The family believes they know who committed this crime,” added Christi, who is an outspoken advocate for Ira and the many other missing people in the community. .
Identification of Ira’s remains
Skeletal remains were found on August 10, 2024, but inclement weather prevented the full exhumation for days at the time. The remains, along with reference standards obtained from Rodney and Marilyn Briscoe, Ira’s parents, were submitted to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab. The lab reportedly confirmed on March 18, 2025, that the comparison yielded a 99.9999999999% likelihood the recovered remains are the biological child of Rodney and Marilyn.
Marilyn played a huge role in the search for her son after his disappearance, consistently using social media to seek answers and justice.
“Law enforcement has been very clear that this is no longer an active case,” Christi told HindustanTimes.com.
“Ira’s family was devastated when his remains were discovered but it did give them some closure,” she added. “However, not having any answers to who committed this crime has left them in limbo. Knowing the killer or killers are still walking around is hard to swallow.”
An obituary for Ira describes him as someone who “loved to fish and hunt with his dad and spend time with his friends.”
“Ira had a deep love for people and was sensitive to their needs. When he was small, he had a battle with leukemia and by the grace of God, he won. He was always quick to lend a helping hand and seemed to know what people needed before they asked,” reads the obituary.
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It adds, “Ira was known for pouring concrete and maybe most of all selling chickens. His mom and sister started calling him Chicken Man. (Probably not his favorite nickname.) He sold chickens to people all over the place. This brought him joy just like so many other things in life. “
Case background
A week after a missing persons’ report was filed for Ira, detectives thought they had a significant break in the case. They found his car at a scrapyard. Police believed Ira’s disappearance could be connected to a shooting that occurred between his acquaintances just a day before he mysteriously vanished.
After Ira’s remains were found, the Sheriff’s Office executed search warrants, subpoenas and over 100 interviews. As many as nine arrests were made in connection with the case, but all on unrelated charges. No one has been directly charged in the disappearance of Ira.
Ira’s roommate, Limon Little, also mysteriously disappeared around the time Ira went missing. His remains were also found in 2024, and identified in March 2025. No one has been charged in Little’s case either.
In November last year, the FBI let Howell County Sheriff Matt Roberts know that they were officially declining to accept the case or process evidence. However, Roberts said at the time that the Sheriff’s Office was still pursuing this case and investigating every new lead.
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“Our goal is not only to identify those responsible but to build a case strong enough to result in a successful prosecution and conviction,” said Roberts, according to Ozarks First. “We only get one opportunity to bring the person or people responsible to justice. Moving forward prematurely could risk allowing the killer or killers to go free. We will continue our work with patience and determination to ensure justice is done for Ira Briscoe and Limon Little.”
What happened to Ira Briscoe?
Christi claimed that the last time Ira’s family spoke to him was on December 17, 2020. In his last conversation with his mother, Ira told her that “he was worried about some people who he had previously been friends with,” Christi said, adding that “one of these men had previously attacked Ira and broken his jaw.”
Christi claimed that a video of this brutal attack was sent to Marilyn after Ira went missing. She also alleged that someone “burned Ira’s truck to the ground” months after his disappearance.
Christi further said that she suspects both Ira and Little were “lured to a location by a young man and his family” who killed them and “disposed of them in multiple locations.”
Christi alleged that Ira was “dating a girl on and off who was attached to the man who had attacked Ira,” adding that she believes the girl knows something.
A day before Ira went missing, two people reportedly exchanged gunfire inside a house in nearby Koshkonong. Investigators said that both these men involved in the fight knew Ira, and that there could be connection.
Talking about the gunfire exchange, Christi said that she and Ira’s family believe that it indeed may have had a connection to Ira’s disappearance.
“We know that Ira’s home had been burglarized between the last day he was heard from and the day he was reported missing. We know for a fact that SD cards were removed from the game cameras surrounding his property, and we think there are definitely three men and one woman involved,” she added.
Christi said that Ira’s father died in January of this year, after battling a long illness.
“The loss of his son devastated him and he was blessed to have his wife Marilyn and daughter by his side through it all,” she said.
“Ira’s family continues to pray for answers and they pray that the Howell County Sheriff’s Department doesn’t forget about Ira,” Christi added.
Howell County Sheriff Matt Roberts did not respond to HindustanTimes.com’s request for a comment.
