Police identify man found dead in Springfield early Thursday

Springfield Police have identified the man found dead in central Springfield on Thursday morning.

Joshua Kelley, 26, of Springfield, was found in a home at 1040 S. Missouri Ave. after police responded to a call of gunshots in the area. A neighbor called to report hearing a woman screaming and shots fired around 3:30 a.m.

Police say investigators with the Criminal Investigations Section are processing the scene for evidence.

Detectives are interviewing witnesses and following up on leads in an attempt to identify and locate those responsible. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 417-864-1810 or Crime Stoppers at 417-869-8477.

An autopsy will be conducted by the Greene County Medical Examiner's Office to determine the cause of death, police say.

The homicide is the 17th of the year, police confirmed.

While reported crime statistics might make 17 homicides look like a record in Springfield, it's not quite that simple. Police initially thought there were 16 homicides in 2012, but that number rose to 19 by 2013.

That's because the deaths of Mark and Shawn Staudte were not considered homicides until new information led to murder charges for Diane and Rachel Staudte.

Also, Jeremy Strahle, who was hit by a car in 2012, was taken off life support in 2013, making his death a homicide as well.

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