Man kills wife in Missouri national park during fight over stimulus check, feds say

A man accused of killing his estranged wife while meeting her in a Missouri national park has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, according to federal authorities.

In his signed plea agreement, 30-year-old Dylan J. Hanger admitted on May 10 that he and Brittany Gorman met on May 20, 2020 at Buck Hollow, a river access point in Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

While in the national park, the estranged husband and wife “argued about their children and their federal stimulus check,” according to court records.

The Mountain View man then stabbed Gorman in the chest multiple times, federal officials say. She died from the stabbings.

Hanger’s defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

The day after Gorman was killed, on May 21, 2020, U.S. Park Rangers found her truck at Buck Hollow with items that indicated she “may have been injured,” according to a 2020 news release from the National Park Service.

In investigating her disappearance, authorities arrested Hanger on May 30, 2020, officials said. He then led investigators to her remains in the national park, where she was found about 10 days after her death.

“Brittany will be remembered as a loving mother, daughter, sister and friend,” her online obituary says. “Her beautiful smile will never be forgotten.”

With his guilty plea, Hanger faces up to life in prison without the possibility for parole, according to a news release. His sentencing date has not been scheduled as of May 17.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways is about 140 miles southeast of Springfield. The national park is about 35 miles northeast of Hanger’s home in Mountain View.

This story was originally published May 17, 2022 at 1:52 PM with the headline "Man kills wife in Missouri national park during fight over stimulus check, feds say."