Son Accused of Killing Father, Concealing His Body Beneath Foley Shed
FOLEY, Mo. — “Ricky, this is not the way.”
Richard Saettele recalled hearing those words from his father, Michael Saettele, as Michael lay wounded outside their Foley home.
Richard said he prayed with his father before retrieving a kitchen cleaver, returning outside and stabbing him in the heart. He then moved Michael’s body, dug a shallow grave and concealed it beneath construction debris and fiberglass insulation inside an attached shed.
Those details were not included when the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office first announced that Michael had been found dead and his son had been arrested. A newly filed account now reveals how a missing-person investigation led authorities to Michael’s remains and the statements Richard provided after they were discovered.
Richard Saettele, Foley, Mo.
CHARGES
First-degree murder — Class A felony
First-degree domestic assault — Class A felony
Armed criminal action — Two counts
Michael had last been seen Aug. 15 near Kings Lake Road in Foley. His cellphone and vehicle were left at his residence, and his direction of travel was unknown.
The sheriff’s office began investigating the disappearance Oct. 18. The circumstances were considered suspicious, and Richard emerged as a suspect as authorities pursued several leads.
Six days later, a witness came forward with information that changed the course of the investigation.
The witness had received a telephone call from Richard on the evening of Oct. 23.
During that conversation, Richard disclosed that he had stabbed his father with a screwdriver, read him his last rites and buried him beneath construction debris.
The witness reported the call to the sheriff’s office the following day.
Richard provided a location on the Foley property. Two cadaver-detection dogs were taken there, and both independently alerted to an attached lean-to shed.
A pile of construction debris and fiberglass insulation covered part of the dirt floor. Michael’s remains were found underneath.
Richard was located and transported to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. After being advised of his rights, he agreed to give a statement.
He described an argument with his father approximately 10 feet outside the residence’s rear sliding-glass door.
Richard said Michael attempted to throw a flathead screwdriver at him. Richard took control of the screwdriver and stabbed his father in the eye.
Michael fell to the ground.
“Ricky, this is not the way,” Michael said.
Richard tried to pull the screwdriver out, but it was lodged in his father’s eye. He recalled Michael making what he described as “deeply moving statements” while lying on the ground.
Michael continued suffering for approximately five minutes.
Richard began praying the Lord’s Prayer with him.
He later said he could no longer watch his father suffer. Richard entered the residence, obtained a kitchen cleaver and returned outside with the intention of ending Michael’s life.
After reading what he described as his father’s last rites, Richard stabbed him directly in the heart.
The cleaver’s brown handle broke away from the blade. Richard believed the blade remained inside Michael’s body.
After Michael stopped breathing, Richard dragged him approximately 20 feet from where the stabbing occurred.
Using a military shovel, Richard dug a hole approximately one foot deep.
He considered burning the body but decided that would be disrespectful. He instead wanted to provide his father with what he viewed as a proper burial.
Approximately two or three days later, an odor began coming from the burial site. Richard returned and covered the area with several layers—or “blankets”—of fiberglass insulation.
When questioned about why he did not call emergency services after the first stabbing, Richard said he believed the best thing he could do was stop his father’s suffering.
He reported having “minimal blood” on him and described the scene as “clean.”
Richard could not identify the exact day Michael died but placed it around the middle or end of September.
The sheriff’s office initially asked the public for help locating Michael before announcing that his remains had been found buried on his property. That announcement confirmed Richard’s arrest and the four felony charges filed against him but did not disclose the sequence of events described in the newly released account.
Lincoln CountyWatch also contacted the Lincoln County Coroner’s Office. The office had no additional information to release and referred further questions about the case to the sheriff’s office.
Richard remains held without bond. The judge determined that no combination of financial or nonfinancial release conditions would adequately protect the community or ensure his appearance in court.
The request for no bond cited Michael’s death, the attempt to conceal his body and Richard’s documented history of mental illness. Evidence collected during the investigation also indicated that Richard had purchased a plane ticket to Hawaii before later refunding it.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing.
Multiple agencies assisted, including the Lincoln County Coroner’s Office; St. Charles County Police Department’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit and Crime Laboratory; St. Charles County SWAT Team; St. Charles City Police Department; St. Louis County Cyber Crimes Task Force; St. Louis Fire Department Search and Rescue K9 teams; Wentzville Police Department; and additional law enforcement task forces.
The allegations against Richard have not been tested in court. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Sources
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office missing-person announcement and investigative update
Probable cause statement dated Oct. 24, 2026
Arrest warrant in Lincoln County case No. 26L6-CR00697
Missouri Case.net
Lincoln County Coroner’s Office
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