05/19/2026
DCI Arrests Suspect in 2023 Missing Persons Case
MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa, 5/18/26- The Iowa DCI reports an arrest has been made in connection with a western Iowa missing persons case. Authorities say on June 29, 2023, 35-year-old Jesse George, of Missouri Valley was reported as a missing person to the Missouri Valley Police Department. Since the missing person’s report was filed, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, in cooperation with the Missouri Valley Police Department and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, continued to work on the investigation.
In April 2026, Law Enforcement searched a rural location four miles northwest of Missouri Valley and located human remains. The remains have been positively identified as Jesse George. The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner ruled George’s death as a homicide.
On May 18, 2026, agents with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation arrested and charged 52-year-old Joseph Langford, of Missouri Valley, for Murder in the First Degree (Class A Felony) and for the Abuse of a Co**se (Class C Felony).
This is an ongoing criminal investigation; no further details are being released.
(Photo: Suspect Joseph Langford - Iowa DCI photo)
