2-year-old killed after wandering from motel is identified

A 2-year-old boy struck by a vehicle and killed early Saturday in Kansas City has been identified as J’Vierre Durden from Essex, Mo.

The boy, who would have turned 3 next month, apparently got out of a locked motel room and wandered into Blue Parkway where he was struck by a vehicle about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, according to Kansas City police.

Other family members were asleep when the boy left the room, police said. Essex is a town of about 500 in the state’s southeast corner.

The incident occurred in the 6700 block of Blue Parkway, and detectives are still seeking the driver whose vehicle struck J’Vierre.

A witness told police that she was driving westbound on Blue Parkway when she saw the child running in the street. By the time she was able to turn around, he had already been hit. The boy’s father arrived at the scene a short time later and told officers that his son was missing from their room.

Police think that the driver of the vehicle that struck the boy may not have realized that a small child had been hit. Detectives are continuing to investigate and are asking anyone who was driving in the area at the time to contact the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.