Rolla man charged with strangling mother to death

A Rolla man has been charged with strangling his mother to death after the two were involved in an argument.

Daniel Cross, 22, of Rolla, faces a charge for second-degree murder, a class A felony, in the death of his 60-year-old mother, Chong Cross.

He was incarcerated in the Phelps County Jail. His bond was set at $500,000, according to Missouri case net.

Rolla police officers found Chong's body in her residence in the 1700 block of Forum Drive Monday evening.

The cause of death was believed to have been by manual strangulation, according to a news release from the Rolla Police Department. An autopsy has been scheduled.

Rolla police started investigating when they received a report around 8 p.m. Monday from one of Chong's co-workers that Chong had not shown up to work and that it was not like her at all to fail to show up or not call.

Officers responded to the residence on Forum Drive to check the well being of Chong. When they arrived, they made contact with her son, Daniel, who claimed she was not at home and was out of town.

According to the news release, officers grew suspicious of the son's behavior and his responses to questions asked of him.

After not receiving satisfactory answers, officers entered the residence and discovered the Chong was deceased. The scene was secured and Daniel was detained.

The Rolla Police Department's Division of Criminal Investigations and the Phelps County Coroner's Office conducted the joint investigation.

The investigation is ongoing, but information indicates that no others were involved.

Anybody with additional information pertaining to this case is urged to contact Detective Sgt. Ken Nakanishi at the RPD at 573-308-1213, or the RPD's confidential tip hotline, which is 573-364-0111.