Police search for person of interest in KCK killing; possible kidnapping victim found
Kansas City, Kansas police are searching for a man they believe may be connected to a Saturday homicide and possible kidnapping.
Police were called about 5 p.m. Saturday to the 1800 block of Minnesota Avenue on reports of a dead body that had been discovered, according to the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department.
There, officers found a man in his 40s dead inside a home, said Nancy Chartrand, a police spokeswoman.
It was apparent to officers that the body had been there for “a number of hours,” Chartrand said. Neighbors told police of possible gunshots early Saturday morning, so that’s when detectives believe the victim was killed, she said.
Police are searching for Kenneth N. Crowley. He is a person of interest in the homicide and also in the possible kidnapping of 37-year-old Laneia Taylor, which police said was “in relation” to the killing.
Crowley may be driving a dark blue 2006 Hyundai Azera with the Kansas license plate number 878JAD, police said.
Detectives were initially also searching for Taylor, but on Sunday evening, they said she had been “received into police custody.”
The homicide victim has not yet been publicly identified.
Saturday’s killing marked the third homicide this year in Kansas City, Kansas. Last year, the city recorded a total of 55 homicides, according to data maintained by The Star.
Anyone with information about the killing or the location of Crowley or Taylor was asked to call the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department at 913-596-3000 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).
Gun violence will be the subject of a new, statewide journalism project The Star is undertaking in Missouri this year in partnership with the national service program Report for America and sponsored in part by Missouri Foundation for Health. As part of this project, The Star will seek the community’s help.
To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org.
This story was originally published January 31, 2021 at 8:36 AM.
