Body found in field was Independence man who allegedly had fled deputies

A body found Tuesday night in a field near Harrisonville was identified as 36-year-old Vincent J. Royal.

Royal, of Independence, was found deceased by a mushroom hunter around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday near East 278th Street and State Route DD, according to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

Cass County investigators said they think Royal was an occupant of a vehicle that fled deputies on April 4.

The sheriff’s office said a vehicle pursuit had began around 1 a.m. north of Peculiar on Interstate 49 earlier this month. Authorities said the driver lost control and crashed in the area at East 275th Street and Hayden Bridge Road outside of Harrisonville.

The driver, identified as 24-year-old Carly M. Richter, was taken into custody at the scene. The Cass County prosecuting attorney’s office charged Richter with resisting a traffic stop by fleeing.

Capt. Kevin Tieman, the agency’s spokesman, said authorities were unsure how Richter might have known Royal, who was believed to be in the vehicle at the time of the pursuit.

Several deputies and a K-9 unit searched the area for Royal in the early morning hours of April 4 but didn’t find him.

Royal’s cause of death has not yet been released. The sheriff’s office said test results for the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office are expected to be returned in six to eight weeks.

This story was originally published April 20, 2017 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Body found in field was Independence man who allegedly had fled deputies."