Missouri Father Sentenced to 17 Years for Starving Disabled Son to Death

Lawrence Riehl, 62, of Sullivan, Missouri, was sentenced to 17 years in prison after his disabled 21-year-old son was found dead, weighing just 50 pounds.

Missouri Man Gets 17 Years After Disabled Son Found Dead at 50 Pounds

A Missouri father will serve 17 years in prison after his severely disabled adult son starved to death, weighing approximately 50 pounds at the time of his death. Law & Crime reports that Lawrence Riehl, 62, entered an Alford plea this week on one count each of involuntary first-degree manslaughter, domestic assault, and abuse of a person with a disability.

An Alford plea allows a defendant to accept that the state's evidence would likely secure a conviction while maintaining personal innocence regarding the underlying facts.

Sentencing

Judge Brice Sechrest of the 24th Judicial Circuit Court sentenced Riehl to 10 years on the manslaughter count and seven years on the domestic assault count, with those two terms to run consecutively — totaling 17 years. A separate one-year sentence on the abuse count will run concurrently with the other two.

Riehl had originally faced charges of second-degree murder and abuse of a person with a disability before the plea agreement was reached.

What Investigators Found

The Washington County Sheriff's Office was called to the Riehl family home in Sullivan — a small town roughly 70 miles southwest of St. Louis — on March 26, 2025, after the 21-year-old victim was found unresponsive. Law enforcement has not publicly identified the victim.

The scene inside the residence alarmed investigators from the start. "When evaluating [the victim] it was evident he was severely malnourished," a detective wrote in a warrant application. "Around his mouth was what appeared to be vomit. He was fully nude laying on the floor in the corner of a bedroom."

The home was described as filthy, cluttered with "trash, empty food containers and feces," according to the charging document.

An autopsy ruled the death a homicide. The victim, who stood 69 inches tall, weighed roughly 50 pounds at the time of his death — approximately 90 pounds below the weight considered normal for a male of his age and height, according to National Institutes of Health guidelines cited in the warrant application.

The medical examiner determined that the victim had choked on fecal matter. Investigators also found that his knees had become permanently locked in position, consistent with prolonged immobility. "This is from the legs being stuck in one place for a long time," the charging document states.

A Prolonged Decline

The warrant application makes clear that the victim's deterioration was not sudden and had been documented by medical professionals over more than a year.

In March 2024, doctors identified severe weight loss, fat loss, and muscle wasting. By December 2024, his condition had progressed to the point that he had lost the ability to walk and was having difficulty standing. The victim, according to his father, was "severely autistic and non verbal."

The night before the victim died, his brother had prepared pizza rolls for him — the only food mentioned in proximity to his death. Investigators calculated the caloric content of those rolls and compared it against FDA daily recommendations for an adult, concluding that the victim faced a substantial and ongoing caloric deficit.

The detective also noted that no family member reported witnessing the victim eating feces. "It is my conclusion [the victim] ate feces due to him suffering from starvation," the detective wrote.

Father's Own Words

Riehl told investigators that the family "knew they had a problem" and said they had been "trying to address it by getting him on Medicaid and get him into a facility." He added that the family "did not neglect him, well maybe a little bit."

In June 2025, Riehl contacted the coroner's office himself. He subsequently called the office two additional times — not to inquire about the investigation, but, according to the charging document, "requesting the death certificate being he has a life insurance policy on [the victim]."

Prosecutor's Statement

Washington County Prosecuting Attorney John Jones addressed the case in a press release following sentencing. "This was a tragic case involving the death of a vulnerable young man who relied on others for his most basic needs," Jones said.

Source: Law & Crime