Ozarks man accused of dumping woman’s body says she was given a ‘hot shot’ of heroin

An Ozarks man is facing a felony charge after he allegedly dumped a 20-year-old woman’s body on a rural road in Greene County last week.

Russell Robert Hercher, 55, was charged with abandonment of a corpse. The night before, Briley and another man were in his shop preparing needles to use drugs, Hercher said, according to police.

He told police he believed the man had given the woman a “hot shot,” which is a lethal injection of heroin.

Before moving the body, Hercher placed her on a seat in his auto shop, Dirty White Boys Polishing, according to police records.

“What ... do I do?” Hercher asked a friend who was with him, according to records. Then he left. “I went and got high.”

Hercher told police that Briley appeared to be sleeping and was breathing when he left. But when he returned, she was dead.

No one has been charged in Devin Zoey Briley’s death, according to the Springfield News-Leader.

Hercher allegedly placed her body in the back seat of a Chrysler and drove aimlessly west about 12 miles away, according to records.

When detectives asked Hercher whether he wanted Briley’s body to be found, just not in his shop, he nodded his head, police said.

Hercher has multiple felony convictions, including possession of a controlled substance, first-degree statutory sodomy, forcible rape and escape from custody.

This story was originally published December 12, 2017 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Ozarks man accused of dumping woman’s body says she was given a ‘hot shot’ of heroin."