‘A violent murder’: Carthage man accused of killing wife near KC, driving body to SW MO
A Carthage man allegedly killed his wife in Miami County, Kansas, then drove her body to Jasper County, in southwest Missouri, before he reported her death, according to law enforcement.
The victim has been identified as Kenia Lopez, 24, of Carthage.
Investigators determined her death occurred in the 33500 block of Metcalf Road, near Louisburg, Kansas, before her body and a camper were driven to Carthage, Missouri, according to Miami County Undersheriff Matthew Kelly in a statement Friday morning.
Prosecutors in the two counties charged Lopez’s husband, Gavino McJunkins-Macias, 23, of Carthage, with one count of abandonment of a corpse in Jasper County Circuit Court and one count of second-degree murder in Miami County District Court on Friday. His bond was set at $1 million.
“The defendant committed a violent murder in Kansas, killing his wife,” a Carthage Police Department detective wrote in a report. “He then transported the decedent across state lines and left the decedent unattended while he spoke with family and an attorney.”
McJunkins-Macias was arrested around noon Thursday, 15 minutes after he made a 911 call to report his wife’s body was in a camper in Carthage, according to court documents for the abandonment of a corpse case.
During an interview, the man allegedly told police the camper was his, and said he brought it to Carthage around 7 a.m. with his wife’s body inside, knowing she was dead, according to court documents. He then allegedly left the body in the camper and went to meet with family and handle other business.
Surveillance footage captured near where the camper was found in Carthage showed a truck towing a camper around 8 a.m., and then leaving the area without the camper around 25 minutes later.
Anyone with information that could be relevant to the investigation may contact the Miami County Sheriff’s Office by calling 913-294-3232 ext. 8030 or may reach out anonymously by calling the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.
