Court documents reveal missing Dallas County woman was staying with James Phelps prior to his arrest

DALLAS COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) - A man has been arrested in the case of missing woman Cassidy Rainwater.

The FBI passed along information Thursday that led to the arrest of James Phelps, 58, at a home near the town of Windyville, Missouri. He was arrested on felony kidnapping charges.

“He’s been arrested and charged with Class B felony kidnapping in the first degree. We got a tip from the FBI,” said Dallas County Sheriff Scott Rice.

Court documents show, on September 16, the FBI contacted detectives in Dallas County saying they received some photos from an anonymous person that showed Cassidy Rainwater in a cage.

According to court documents, the detective recognized Rainwater in a cage in a partially nude state. After searching Phelps’ phone, officials discovered seven photos of Rainwater.

According to detectives, Rainwater had been staying with Phelps while she got on her feet. Phelps claims she had left in the middle of the night one night at the end of July and he had not seen her since then.

Police are searching Phelps’ house and have not confirmed if Rainwater has been found.

“We’re still investigating on that. We’re still searching the crime scene, making sure we’re not missing anything,” said Rice.

More charges could be announced in the upcoming days. The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office and Dallas County Prosecutor are working with the FBI and a Greene County Crime Scene unit in the investigation.

Phelps is currently being held without bond in the Dallas County Jail.

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