Months after Valentine's mystery date, teen's remains found. Her family wants answers

Vernece A. Brown had plans to spend Valentine's Day partying with friends and enjoying a night out.

Brown, 18, also had plans for the next day: She had a job interview.

But the former East High School student never returned home that evening.

On Thursday, police confirmed her family's worst fears when authorities identified Brown as the woman whose remains were found in a wooded area in rural Harrisonville.

"We have done everything that we could possibly do," Brown's aunt, Alicia Hyler, said Thursday. "We canvassed the area, we made fliers and we talked to her friends."

Brown was last seen in the 3600 block of Bales Avenue, according to Kansas City police. She left her home with an unknown male and her family had not seen or heard from her since.

For weeks the family passed out fliers, appealed on social media and canvassed neighborhoods and parts of Kansas City they knew Brown frequently visited.

On April 28, Cass County sheriff's deputies were called to the area of South Mopac Road between East 235th and 239th streets on after mushroom hunters discovered the remains. The sheriff’s office had about 40 deputies and recruits search the area for additional evidence and closed off that portion of South Mopac Road for several hours.

The cause of death has not been released but authorities are investigating her death as a homicide.

"At this point we are looking for information on her whereabouts from the time she went missing in Kansas City to when she was found in Cass County," said Capt. Kevin Tieman with the Cass County Sheriff's Office.

Relatives were notified Monday that the remains belonged to Brown. Now relatives are struggling to deal with Brown's passing as they plan her funeral.

"It doesn’t give us closure," Hyler said. "We just want someone in the community to come forward and give us any information that they have. We don’t have any closure at this moment."

Brown attended East High School and later Central Academy for Excellence. She did not graduate but recently began plans to complete her GED.

Her plans included studying to become a nurse.

"She was young, bright, energetic, smart person," Hyler said. "She was lovable. She would give you the shoes off her feet. She would take you a restaurant and feed you if you were hungry."

Rosilyn Temple, the founder and executive director of KC Mothers in Charge, said Brown's death was senseless. Someone knows what happened.

"She had a life ahead of her that we will never know," Temple said. "We have to come together and do better as a community."

This story was originally published May 3, 2018 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Months after Valentine's mystery date, teen's remains found. Her family wants answers."