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Metal theft in farm country; displaced residents look for home

Credit Tamara Zellars Buck / KRCU
Union Baptist Church as it stands today in Pinhook, Mo.

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In the countryside, there are fewer people – and some prefer it that way, especially thieves. The National Insurance Crime Bureau says that metal thefts have increased by 36 percent since 2010 – and that leaves farm equipment and machinery as easy pickings. Reporting for Harvest Public Media, Payne Roberts has the story.

Drive along southeast Missouri’s Highway VV in Mississippi County, and you will primarily see vibrant green fields littered with farm equipment and the occasional farmer working the land.

The burned out remains of what was once a church stands sentry alongside the highway, just outside of what at first glance appears to be an ordinary rural community.

But as Tamara Zellars Buck reports, something seems out of place.

Kristofor left KBIA in fall of 2021
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