‘Completely unfounded’: Rumor about serial killer in Kansas City is untrue, police say
Editor’s note: In the days and weeks after this article published, The Star followed up with additional stories highlighting the concerns of Black community leaders, the problems of missing persons reports and questions about how the Kansas City Police Department treats missing persons cases.
A viral social media post claiming a serial killer is targeting young Black girls in the Kansas City area is “completely unfounded,” the Kansas City Police Department said Monday.
A post on Twitter saying four girls have been killed and three went missing has gotten nearly 70,000 retweets while a video on TikTok received more than 105,000 likes. The video has since been removed by The Kansas City Defender.
In a statement, KCPD Officer Donna Drake said “there is no basis to support this rumor.”
In the past week, one woman has been killed in a homicide in Kansas City, Missouri, according to data tracked by The Star. Loretta Neal was killed Sept. 20 in the 3500 block of Cypress Ave. The 67-year-old woman was not the intended target, police said.
Two girls were reported missing. One was located safe, police announced Monday morning.
The other, Jayonna Brown, 17, was last seen on Sept. 9 near 113th and Lewis Ave. There was no update on the case as of Monday, Drake said.
If anyone has seen Jayonna, they are asked to call the police department’s juvenile unit at 816-234-5150.
Mike Davis, who works for Eternal Life Church, said a bishop heard the initial rumor from a community leader. It will be discussed at a community meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at 3114 Paseo.
This story was originally published September 26, 2022 at 11:22 AM.
