Ozarks Unsolved: Investigators seek new leads in Elizabeth Hornbeck’s death more than a decade after disappearance

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Mo. (KY3) - More than a decade after Elizabeth Hornbeck disappeared from Howell County, her mother and investigators are still looking for answers about what happened to the 25-year-old mother of two.

Hornbeck was last seen in Mountain View on Sept. 24, 2015. Her remains were found in a wooded area outside the city about 18 months later. No one has been formally named a suspect or person of interest in the case, Howell County Sheriff Matt Roberts said.

For her mother, Lisa Hornbeck, memories of her daughter fill an in-home salon, alongside a recording of Elizabeth singing.

“She sang like an angel, and she could do anything she wanted to,” Lisa said. “She set her mind to it and just did it.”

Lisa recalled her daughter entering a talent show at age 14 after learning three songs overnight. Elizabeth was the only child competing, her mother said, and she won first place.

In 2015, Elizabeth was working two jobs and involved in a court case over the guardianship of her younger son, Laken, after his father died. Lisa had guardianship of Elizabeth’s older son, Luke.

On the last night Lisa saw her daughter, Elizabeth visited Luke at Lisa’s home. Lisa said her daughter seemed unlike herself that evening.

“I asked her. I said, ‘Are you upset? Are you? What’s going on?’ And she said, ‘It’s just not been a good day,’” Lisa said.

Lisa said Elizabeth’s live-in boyfriend called the next day and told her Elizabeth had not come home after the couple argued. As Lisa began calling Elizabeth’s friends, one told her she had heard the couple arguing over the phone the night before. Lisa said she did not know whether Elizabeth had called the friend intentionally.

Elizabeth’s car was later found parked at what was then a Town and Country grocery store in Mountain View, Lisa said. A witness also reported seeing two men force a woman believed to be Elizabeth into a car at Veterans Park.

Roberts said investigators located men who fit the descriptions but could not establish that they were involved or confirm that the reported incident occurred.

He said investigators initially were unsure what had happened, noting that family members told them Elizabeth had sometimes been out of contact for a few days. Her failure to appear for a later court hearing caused concern, he said.

In March 2017, a man collecting scrap metal in the woods discovered skeletal remains and contacted authorities, Roberts said. He was among the deputies who responded and secured the scene until investigators could begin the recovery.

Personal belongings found nearby were shown to Lisa, and DNA later confirmed the remains were Elizabeth’s, Roberts said. Lisa said the official identification came in October 2017.

After Elizabeth disappeared, Lisa said, friends and co-workers told her about alleged domestic violence in her daughter’s relationship. Lisa said one co-worker told her she had seen Elizabeth’s boyfriend lift her by the throat at work. Lisa also recalled Elizabeth arriving for a visit with a broken collarbone.

Roberts said people interviewed during the investigation described possible domestic violence issues. He said the sheriff’s office had no reports of domestic violence between Elizabeth and her boyfriend, although deputies had responded to their home once when the boyfriend wanted her to leave.

The boyfriend was later sentenced on unrelated federal drug trafficking charges. He declined an on-camera interview and declined to respond to the allegations of domestic violence. No one has been formally named a suspect or person of interest in Elizabeth’s case.

Roberts said the last tip investigators were able to follow up on came in 2022. Elizabeth’s case has since been featured on playing cards distributed through the Missouri Department of Corrections in hopes of generating new leads, he said.

The sheriff’s office also plans to work with the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s cold case unit to review previous tips and interviews. Roberts said the original investigators have retired, offering an opportunity for fresh eyes to examine the case.

Lisa hopes anyone with information will take it to investigators.

“I would want them to say something because it’s only right,” she said. “She deserves that.”

Anyone with information about Elizabeth Hornbeck’s disappearance or death is asked to contact the Howell County Sheriff’s Office or the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The Howell County Sheriff’s Office is offering a $1,000 reward for information in this case. You can submit tips anonymously to 844-510-2627.

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