OZARK, Mo. -- A man from Oldfield is charged for the murder of a 68-year-old woman from Oldfield nearly three years ago.  The Christian County prosecutor charged David D. Epperson last Friday with second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence but wanted to keep the charge secret while the investigation continued because someone else may be involved.

   Investigators think Epperson killed Heyn on Nov. 3, 2003.  Friends and family reported her missing four days later and said she was last seen at the Oldfield Post Office on Nov. 3.  Searches in the Mark Twain National Forest in eastern Christian County failed to find her.  Heyn’s skull turned up in April 2004 near Garrison, south of Oldfield.

   Epperson was arrested last Thursday on an unrelated charge.  He was charged for Heyn's murder on Friday and a judge set a bond of $500,000 but Prosecuting Attorney Ron Cleek thought the documents in the case had been sealed.  Cleek was surprised when a KY3 News reporter asked him about it on Tuesday afternoon, and then scheduled a news conference to talk about it.

A probable cause statement filed with the charge indicates Epperson's DNA was found in Heyn's home. In an interview with a detective, Epperson said he helped another person clean up Heyn's home after learning she was murdered there. Epperson told the detective that he cut his finger and bled during the cleanup. The tampering with evidence charge resulted from Epperson saying he helped with the cleanup but didn't contact police about his knowledge of the crime.

  In a hearing on Monday, Associate Circuit Judge John Waters assigned a public defender to represent Epperson, 40, and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Nov. 21.  Epperson could face as much as a 30-year prison sentence for second-degree murder and another 4-year sentence for tampering with evidence if he’s convicted.

   Heyn was married for 47 years in Fred Heyn, although the two were separated when she disappeared.  The couple had two grown children and several grandchildren great-grandchildren.  One daughter preceded her in death.