Missouri town unites to keep murdered teen’s memory alive, scholarship set up
Nearly a week after a missing Moberly teen’s body was found in a wooded area, her community is still mourning and determined to have Kayla Huff’s name live on.
In addition to a vigil at Kayla’s church this past weekend and a scheduled event Tuesday at the Taco Bell where the teen worked, a scholarship has been created in her name.
“It was the parents and the kids that came to me and wanted to do something,” said Heather Cleavinger, who with parent Michelle Tindle started the scholarship fund. Though other ideas came up, like a bench, a scholarship, Cleavinger said, allows the community to “never forget her.”
Added Tindle, whose daughter was in Kayla’s class: “What better way to keep her memory alive than by helping to educate our kids?”
The goal is for the first scholarship to be awarded to a member of Kayla’s graduating class in 2028, Cleavinger said.
The teen’s disappearance and subsequent death have shaken the Moberly community and brought everyone together — from churches and schools to businesses and residents. Moberly is about 130 miles northeast of Kansas City.
Her obituary describes her as a “beacon of joy, known for her ever-present smile and a hug ready for anyone in need of comfort.”
“Her kindness was a constant, and her encouragement inspired those around her to be their best selves.” it said. “Outgoing with a unique sense of humor, Kayla’s personality was a vibrant tapestry of warmth and laughter that will be dearly missed.”
Tuesday afternoon, from 2 to 5 p.m., the Taco Bell in town will hold an event in honor of Kayla. A donation box for the family will be set up inside. Whatever is collected, the franchise owner will match, said Manager Jadyn Holtzclaw.
And a poster and flowers will be set at the table where Kayla sat during her breaks.
“We really enjoyed seeing her at work everyday,” Holtzclaw said Tuesday morning. “She was a really good worker.”
What records say happened to Kayla
Kayla’s parents reported her missing on May 6. The teen was last seen that morning, and she left behind her “electronics or id -debit card,” according to a post her mom wrote on social media.
And her car, her father said, was abandoned on Rollins Street in front of the Assembly of God church in Moberly.
Volunteers from the town as well as throughout the state helped law enforcement search for the teen. Randolph County Sheriff Andy Boggs said a local resident found Kayla’s body around 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Rudolf Bennitt Conservation Area.
Earlier on Wednesday, prosecutors announced charges against three adults — Christopher Alan Hull, 23; Hunter Tyne Ames, 19; and Alayna Leann Mason, 20 — for first-degree kidnapping. All are from Moberly, according to court documents. A 17-year-old is in juvenile custody in relation to Kayla’s case.
Another man — Julian Mason, 26, of Moberly — has since been charged with tampering with evidence and first-degree kidnapping in relation to Kayla’s disappearance. Randolph County Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Luntsford said Julian and Alayna Mason “to my understanding, are not related.”
On Friday, Alayna Mason and Ames were charged with first-degree murder in the case.
Court records reveal violent details pertaining to Kayla’s disappearance and death. They show that Alayna Mason and another individual — whose name was redacted from documents — allegedly kidnapped the teen, put her in the trunk of a car and took her to the conservation area, assaulted her with a blunt object and shot her
The gun used to kill Kayla, court records show, was a pistol that belonged to Hunter Ames. He told authorities that Mason and another person, whose name was redacted, showed up at his residence the morning of May 6 and asked to borrow the pistol, records show.
Ames shared with investigators that he was told that “they had someone in the trunk” of a white Chevrolet Impala and that they needed his pistol to “take care of it.” According to court records, Ames said he allowed them to take his pistol, and they left in the Impala.
‘Eye-opener for us parents’
The teen was known to many as “Kayla Bug.”
A sophomore, she was involved in basketball and track. She was active in her church group, according to her obituary, and “found great joy in participating in church activities and working with children.
Tindle said Kayla was “a good, sweet kid.”
“She really was involved in our community,” said Tindle, whose daughter played basketball with Kayla. “It’s hard for us as adults to process this, let alone to be able to sit there and talk to your 16-year-old child about one of their classmates being tragically murdered.
“It’s a good eye-opener for us as parents to love our kids a little harder and to hug them a little tighter. She turned out to be everybody’s daughter, because we all were so committed in finding her and figuring out what happened.”
The idea for the scholarship came up Saturday evening. And by Tuesday morning, the fund had already risen to $450.
Donations can be sent in the name of the Kayla Huff Memorial Scholarship Fund c/o County Bank, PO Box 695, Moberly, MO. 65270.
“We’re a small community,” Cleavinger said. “We’ve all been affected by this. … We’re not invincible in Moberly, Missouri, and sometimes we think we are.”
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 1:21 PM.
