KC community seeks justice for murdered child and mother
Kansas City needs a hero to unmask a coward.
It’s been a year since someone killed a 3-year-old girl and her mother. Their family and the community still are waiting for justice.
Dozens of community members, public officials and police officers gathered Friday morning at a central city park to plead for someone to step forward and put a child killer behind bars.
“It’s a scar on the soul of this city, and it needs to be erased,” said Mayor Sly James.
Damiah White was a few weeks from turning 4 when she and her mother, Myeisha Turner, were killed. They were found dead Aug. 23, 2013, inside their home in the 5500 block of Wabash Avenue.
A younger child, who was nearly a year old, had been wandering alone for hours near their bodies.
Cheryl Turner, the mother and grandmother of the victims, said Friday that she still has no answers about what happened.
“My family and I are seeking closure,” she said. “Myeisha and Damiah mattered. We miss them and love them dearly.”
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said she will continue to seek justice for the family no matter how long it takes.
“We believe someone knows something,” Baker said. “We need a hero to step up and tell us what they know.”
Friday’s gathering took place under a park shelter at 53rd Street and Brooklyn Avenue that last year was painted pink because that was Damiah’s favorite color.
James said it will remain pink until the killer is caught. He said it will be a great day when people can gather with paintbrushes and paint the shelter a different color.
“If you don’t step up, then this person will do it again,” James said. “And there’s no guarantee that next time it won’t be you or someone you love.”
As part of Friday’s effort, James, Baker and other volunteers fanned out in the neighborhood and passed out fliers seeking information about the case.
Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477) or the Kansas City Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 816-234-5043.
To reach Tony Rizzo, call 816-234-4435 or send email to trizzo@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published August 22, 2014 at 11:47 AM with the headline "KC community seeks justice for murdered child and mother."