Search for suicidal woman leads KC police to cache of drugs, stolen guns and $81,000

When police entered a south Kansas City home earlier this month, they were looking for a woman who had told friends she wanted to kill herself.

Instead, they found a man in the United States illegally, a large amount of drugs, three guns and more than $81,000 in cash.

Juan Manuel Lara-Ortiz, 35, is now charged in U.S. District Court in Kansas City with seven felonies including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana.

He is also charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported.

According to court documents, Kansas City police were called to a house in the 10700 block of Cambridge Avenue by friends of a woman who had sent texts saying she wanted to kill herself.

Lara-Ortiz answered the door, and the officers went inside to check on the woman.

She wasn’t there, but in plain sight they saw plastic bags containing suspected marijuana and methamphetamine, court documents allege.

An officer reached the woman on her cellphone. She initially gave police permission to search the house, but later changed her mind. Officers then obtained a search warrant.

They found just over three pounds of methamphetamine, about half a pound of marijuana and a smaller amount of cocaine, according to the documents.

Three handguns were also found. Two of the guns had been reported stolen earlier this year.

Lara-Oritz was carrying about $2,600 in his pocket and an additional $78,950 was found in a backpack, along with his Mexican passport.

A computer check showed that Lara-Ortiz had been deported twice in 2017, according to the documents.

This story was originally published November 14, 2018 at 12:49 PM.