CROCKER, Mo. - A small Missouri town is being investigated for negligence in how it handled a 2022 overdose death investigation.

More than three years after his son’s fatal overdose, Jeffrey Pratt Sr. is still searching for accountability.

“My honest opinion, I've seen dead goldfish get treated better than my son's death,” Pratt said.

His son, Jeffrey Pratt Jr., died of a drug overdose in January 2022. Since then, Pratt, Sr. has demanded answers and raised concerns about how the Crocker Police Department handled the case.

"I’m not the only one having issues out of Crocker, Missouri,” Pratt said. “Several of the deputies are having issues as well.”

In the months surrounding his son’s death, three Crocker police officers, including the police chief, either resigned or were fired. All three later filed lawsuits against the city.

Allegations of Retaliation

Problems in the department began even before Jeffrey Jr.’s death.

In December 2021, shortly before Pratt, Jr.'s death, then-Police Chief Nick Pappas was removed from his position. Pappas has alleged in court documents that his dismissal was retaliation for investigating a criminal case involving the mayor’s son; an allegation the city denies. A police report FOX 2 obtained from that time cites individuals caught with THC wax who said they had obtained it from someone with the same name as Mayor Glen Smith’s son.

Pappas’ removal cleared the way for Smith to become acting police chief, just two months before the overdose that claimed Jeffrey Jr.’s life.

Delayed Reports, Missing Evidence

Former City Administrator Stephanie Leuthen said when Pratt, Jr. died, Smith personally responded to the overdose scene.

“Glen said, ‘Well, get the camera. We need to go investigate,’” she recalled.

Photos were taken on Smith’s duty cellphone, but hardly any evidence was tagged, and no drugs appeared in the images provided to FOX 2. No police report was filed until May, four months after the death.

Crocker city officials declined to comment on the case.

FOX 2 went to Crocker City Hall to request old city council meeting minutes. They show that in March 2022, shortly after Pratt Jr.'s death, Assistant Police Chief Seth Alexander was removed from his position. He and another officer involved in the Pratt investigation also sued the city, claiming they were pressured to sign non-disclosure agreements, which they feared prevented them from properly doing their job.

Leuthen said the city assured them at the time that those NDAs were related to a separate lawsuit involving Pappas, not their police work. She did acknowledge that city council members issued an ultimatum to staff at the time.

“The council at that time said if you do not sign this, you don’t have a job,” she said.

A New Chief, and a Troubling Discovery

By May 2022, Crocker appointed Regina Arrington as its new police chief. What she found, she said, was alarming.

“The reports weren’t done. Supplements weren’t done. Evidence wasn’t tagged. It hadn’t been sent to the lab. Nothing was tested,” Arrington said.

FOX 2 covered these issues extensively in a report in May.

She says she later revoked Mayor Smith’s access to the department in an effort to protect active investigations. Leuthen tells FOX 2 she witnessed this happen.

Even now, three years later, questions remain. In February, 2025, a Crocker Police sergeant requested that the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) investigate possible evidence tampering at the department. MSHP tells FOX 2 that it denied that request initially because it did not meet necessary criteria. However, in March, the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office formally asked to reopen the Pratt case and MSHP agreed to do it. MSHP says it is investigating Pratt's death as well as potential negligence on the part of the City of Crocker.

Smith declined interview requests, but in a text message sent to FOX 2 said, “I view these hurtful and inaccurate attacks on my character as intimidation and payback for doing my job.” When asked, he did not clarify what “payback” he was referring to.

Earlier this year, Pulaski County took over law enforcement duties in Crocker.

Evidence Room Concerns Persist

Leuthen said she still worries about what might be left behind in the former department’s evidence room.

“My concern with the evidence is now. Who has control of the evidence since we don't have a police department?” she said.

The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request comment.

For Pratt, the lack of closure is personal.

“These people need to be called out. They need to be held accountable,” he said. “If I did this to someone or someone’s family, I would expect to be held accountable,” he said.

MSHP tells FOX 2 that its investigation is still active and ongoing.