Woman charged in 1989 KCK homicide will not fight extradition from Clay County

A Smithville woman accused in the 1989 killing of a Kansas City, Kan., teenager will not fight extradition.

Carolyn J. Heckert, 48, was arrested in Clay County last week after she was charged in Wyandotte County with first-degree murder in the death of Sarah DeLeon.

On Monday, Heckert appeared before a Clay County judge and waived her right to fight extradition across the state line.

Her attorney, P.J. O’Connor, declined to comment on the case.

DeLeon was 18 on Dec. 29, 1989, when she was found stabbed to death along railroad tracks near Interstate 435 and Wolcott Drive in western Kansas City, Kan.

Her abandoned Ford Mustang had been discovered the night before on 78th Street under Interstate 70 in Kansas City, Kan. Police said the car was found with its door open and its emergency flashers on.

Kansas City, Kan., police said that they had reopened the investigation in 2014 because of advances in DNA collection and testing technology.

Earlier this year, police said they had identified a suspect and also said they believed there was a connection between DeLeon’s killing and the 1994 Independence killing of Diana Ault.

No charges have been filed in Ault’s killing.

Police also said that a 1987 incident they termed as an “abduction by deception” may be connected to the DeLeon case.

The victim in that case was tricked into leaving her home in a limousine and taken to the American Inn at 78th Street and Interstate 70 in Kansas City, Kan.

“We are asking for tips regarding the Feb. 13, 1987, incident as we believe the circumstances are relevant to a possible prosecution in Sarah DeLeon’s death,” police said in a statement.

It was not known Monday when Heckert will make an initial appearance in Wyandotte County District Court.

Her bond is set at $1 million.

This story was originally published October 24, 2016 at 1:22 PM with the headline "Woman charged in 1989 KCK homicide will not fight extradition from Clay County."