Neighbor is charged with killing mother, daughter in Camden County

Law enforcement officers arrested a man early Saturday for the killings of two women found in a burned trailer on Aug. 29.

The suspect is Steven Endsley, of Camdenton. A Missouri State Highway Patrol SWAT team and the FBI helped Camden County sheriff's deputies with the arrest. Endsley is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Theresa Jackson, 61, and her daughter, Danielle Smith, 27.

Firefighters found the women’s bodies in the remains of their burned mobile home just south of Camdenton on Monday morning. An autopsy determined the women were killed before the fire was set. An autopsy found they were stabbed.

Investigators say Endsley lived next door to the women and, according to witnesses, had been in an ongoing disagreement with Smith over her sexual orientation. The FBI is assisting the sheriff’s office in investigating the possibility of the murders being a hate crime linked to that disagreement.

Two other adult members of Endsley’s family were taken into custody for questioning at the time of his arrest. Neither are charged.

Endsley is also charged with two counts of armed criminal action, first-degree burglary, and second-degree arson.

According to online court records, Endsley was due in court in Camden County this month on a weapons-related misdemeanor charge.

Endsley is being held without bond on the murder charges.