Kline’s girlfriend told deputies she had been kidnapped by the suspects and sexually assaulted before she escaped and ask for help. Palmer said charges would likely be filed this week.
When they investigated the scene, authorities found Kline’s body in a sealed 55-gallon drum with his feet taped, the Palmer said.
He said Kline had been planning to sell some land to Glendon Gauker, and was trying to finalize the deal when he was attacked.
Glendon Gauker owns a firewood service company adjacent to Kline’s land. He told authorities that Kline had tried to rob him, and that he killed Kline in self-defense.
However, Palmer said none of the evidence matched that story.
“We really don’t know what the motive was on the murder at this point,” Palmer said.
Kathleen Kline Livingston, Ethan Kline’s mother, said her son attended school in Champaign County for about six years, after living in California, Washington and Colorado.
He moved to Oklahoma to be near other members of his family, and graduated from Prague High School there this year. She said Ethan was planning on finding a job and had plans to join the military.
Livingston said her son made an impact on many of the people he met throughout his life. He also loved to read, and played several sports, including wrestling and football.
“His goal one day was to have his own library,” Livingston said.
He also loved practical jokes. Once, to avoid chores, he used cooking spray to coat the family’s dishes, so his sister would have to clean them instead of him.
“He was a gift to a lot of people that he came in contact with,” Livingston said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0355 or msanctis@coxohio.com.
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