Fund set up after new KC mom killed in apparent murder-suicide; baby in foster care
A month ago, Yasmene Herrera, 21, gave birth to her first child, a little boy she named Nicholas who she’d tell relatives she couldn’t wait to take to the zoo and the park.
Now, as police continue to investigate Herrera’s March 15 death as part of a suspected murder-suicide in the Northland, her large family — which includes 15 siblings — plans her funeral. They’ll gather on Friday to honor the young woman known for her constant laughter, a close relationship with her mother, a voice relatives said sounded like Minnie Mouse and an unwavering love of family.
“Sometimes I just go outside and sit down and watch the wind blow and think of her,” Alicia Herrera-Aquino, Yasmene’s mother, told The Star. “And then I think she’s gonna walk through the door and be like, ‘Got you mom.’ That’s her, that’s how she was.
“She was just so happy and loving.”
As Vincent “Mikey” Aquino, Herrera’s stepfather put it: “She was just a big personality. A big, big personality. Funny. Goofy.”
Police responded to the 2600 block of NE 42nd Street just before 4:30 a.m. on March 15 on a reported shooting. When they arrived, “they heard the sound of a gunshot coming from inside an upstairs apartment,” according to a Kansas City Police Department news release.
Officers found Herrera “unresponsive,” suffering from what police described as “apparent gunshot trauma.” Victor Campos, 21, Herrera’s boyfriend and child’s father, was also in the apartment suffering from “gunshot trauma.” The two were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The Star sent several questions to Kansas City police, including whether there were past domestic violence calls and if the couple’s newborn son was in the apartment at the time of the shooting. At this point, a police spokesperson said no additional information can be shared.
“While this case is being investigated as a murder suicide it is still considered an active investigation,” said Kansas City Police Sgt. Phillip DiMartino. “Those questions remain part of the active investigation and are not available at this point.”
As the family waits on more details from police, including when Herrera died and what happened in the moments before the shooting, they focus on her funeral and her newborn son.
In a GoFundMe account created by her uncle, Paul Briones, Jr., Herrera was described as a young mother who “will never get to be here to raise her son Nicholas or watch him grow.”
Nicholas was born Feb. 25, family said. He’s now in foster care as Herrera’s mom and stepfather go through the process to adopt him.
“This is a very difficult time for all of us,” Briones wrote, “and we would appreciate all the help we can get.”
Money raised from the GoFundMe will go toward Herrera’s funeral expenses. Whatever is remaining will be given to Herrera’s mother, “to help towards baby Nicholas,” Briones said.
Herrera’s obituary describes how excited she was to have her son:
“Becoming a mother was one of her greatest joys, and her love will continue to live on through him.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 1:11 PM.
