Investigators allege a woman stabbed her husband, showered and tried to clean blood before officers reached their home.
EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. — Court records provide new details about the evidence investigators say they found after a 65-year-old man was discovered dead inside an Excelsior Springs home Tuesday morning.
Malinda F. Dickey, 67, is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of her husband, Mitchell Troy Dickey. She was being held at the Clay County Detention Center on a $1 million bond, according to the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office.
Excelsior Springs police went to a home near North Kimball Avenue and Northview Drive shortly after 9:20 a.m. Aug. 4 following a 911 report of a dead person. Officers found Mitchell Dickey inside and determined that his death did not appear to have resulted from natural causes.
Investigators concluded that Mitchell Dickey had been dead for at least several hours before the emergency call was made, according to allegations described in Clay County court documents. The records say investigators found evidence that he had been stabbed at least three times in the chest and side.
The court filing also alleges that Malinda Dickey took a shower after the stabbing and attempted to remove blood from the scene. Authorities have not publicly described all of the physical evidence recovered from the residence or said what led investigators to believe an effort had been made to clean it.
Police allege that Malinda Dickey acted after deliberation when she cut her husband. The accusation is contained in a probable cause statement and has not been proven in court. A charge is a formal allegation, and Dickey is presumed innocent unless she is found guilty.
During an interview, Dickey told investigators that she had armed herself with a knife and considered taking her own life because of what had happened, according to the court filing. When an officer asked what she had done, the document says, she declined to answer and requested an attorney.
Authorities have not released a full timeline of the events inside the home, including when the confrontation began, when Mitchell Dickey was last known to be alive or who made the 911 call. Police also have not publicly identified a specific event that they believe immediately preceded the stabbing.
The case remained under investigation Thursday. No plea or trial date was included in the information publicly available, and prosecutors had not announced whether additional charges would be considered.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 6, 2026.