§ 140.540 RSMo — Invalidity of sale — refund of purchase money — tolling of statute

1. Whenever the county collector shall discover, prior to the conveyance of any lands sold for taxes, that the sale was for any cause whatever, invalid, he shall not convey such lands; but the purchase money and the interest thereon shall be refunded out of the county treasury to the purchaser, his representatives or assigns, on the order of the county commission.

2. Such invalid sale shall suspend for the period intervening between the date of the sale and the discovery of its invalidity the running of the statute of limitations.

3. In such cases the county collector shall make an entry opposite to such tracts or lots in the record of certificates of purchase issued or redemption record that the same was erroneously sold, and the cause of invalidity, and such entry shall be prima facie evidence of fact therein stated. He shall notify the county clerk of such action, whose duty it shall be to make a like entry upon his sale record.