COLUMBIA, MO – A Marine Corps veteran who was ambushed and shot during what was supposed to be a simple cellphone sale managed to call 911 and send one last text message to his mother and sister before he died: “I’m dying and I love you.”
Michael Ryan Burke, 42, was killed on the evening of January 18 on the 1400 block of Ridgemont Court in Columbia after arranging to meet someone through Facebook Marketplace. Four suspects, including three 18-year-olds and one juvenile, have been arrested and charged in connection with his murder.
According to a friend who spoke with investigators, Burke was shot but still had enough strength to call 911 and describe his attackers before sending that heartbreaking final message to his family.
Two days after the killing, police arrested Alexis Baumann, 18, of Hallsville; Kobe Aust, 18, of Columbia; and Joseph Crane, 18, of Columbia. A male juvenile was also taken into custody. All four face charges of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and first-degree burglary. Crane and the juvenile face additional charges including armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
Friends and family remembered Burke as someone who made a profound impact on those around him. Tyler Woodsome posted that Burke had been instrumental in helping him maintain his sobriety during dark times.
“He would remind me of God’s love,” Woodsome wrote. “He kept me in the fight.”
Burke served his country as a Marine and then continued serving his community as someone who lifted others up. His death over a cellphone transaction has left those who knew him devastated.
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not ruled out additional arrests.
