Missouri woman choked to death with a dog leash, buried in a shallow grave, police say

A Missouri man is accused of strangling a woman to death and burying her body on his property.

The Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office was investigating the disappearance of Jennifer Porzeinski, 47, and learned Kyle Byington, 47, might have been the last known person to see or speak with Porzeinski, according to the sheriff's office.

Porzeinski was reported missing to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office in Fredericktown, Missouri, on March 16.

Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office and members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control met with Byington at his home in Bollinger County and determined the victim was at his home before going missing. 

Byington was placed under arrest for multiple arrest warrants out of Bonne Terre, Missouri, for unrelated criminal charges, and was transported to the Bollinger County Jail on April 20, according to police

Byington was interviewed about Porzeinski's disappearance and reportedly told police on the night of Porzeinski's death, he and the woman got into a fight.

He reportedly admitted after the altercation, Byington killed Porzeinski by choking her with a dog leash and then buried her on the property behind his residence, according to The Daily Journal Online.

Officials with the Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control, and members of the Cape Girardeau County/Bollinger County Major Case Squad searched Byington’s property, and reportedly found human remains in a shallow grave on April 21, according to the sheriff's office.

Officers identified the remains as Porzeinski. Authorities also determined the cause of death was neck compression, possibly due to strangulation, according to police

Byington was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse and was held without bond.