‘We miss her, we love her’: Kansas City mom hopes daughter who ran away will come home

Update: On Nov. 7, Kansas City police said Jayonna Brown had been located and was safe.

A Kansas City mother hopes her teenage daughter who ran away last month will return home.

According to the Kansas City Police Department, Jayonna Brown, 17, was last seen Sept. 9 near 113th and Lewis Avenue.

Lavera Brown, the teen’s mom, said she believes Jayonna was spotted in early October, but did not want to come home.

“We miss her, we love her,” Brown said. “I want her to come back. Let’s work it out.”

If Jayonna does not return, Brown said she hopes her daughter will let them know she is safe.

There’s “a lot of prayers going up,” she said.

Brown said she did not have a problem submitting the missing persons report to the police department in September. But she wasn’t sure why they waited several days to distribute a missing persons flier to news outlets and on social media, especially since her daughter is a juvenile.

Sgt. Jake Becchina, a spokesman for KCPD, said each missing persons case is different. A person may be in imminent danger if they need medication or when temperatures drop. Police issued the flier in Jayonna’s case Sept. 20 at the family’s request, he said.

Anyone with information about Jayonna’s whereabouts may call the police department’s juvenile section at 816-234-5150.

This story was originally published October 19, 2022 at 12:52 PM.