Police search for freezer possibly sold by Jackson County man accused in grisly murder
Roughly 16 months after Michael J. Hendricks was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of a missing 32-year-old woman, authorities are searching for a deep freezer Hendricks is suspected of having sold over the internet shortly before his arrest.
Hendricks, 41, is accused of killing Kensie Renee Aubry and burying her body on his sprawling Grain Valley residential property, where her remains were exhumed in July 2021 during the execution of a search warrant there. He faces the murder charge along with several other felonies related to the investigation, including allegations of sexual abuse raised by a teenage girl who assisted police with the investigation of Aubry’s disappearance.
Among the allegations was witness testimony that Hendricks had placed Aubry’s body into a deep freezer that was kept in an aircraft hangar next to his house. No freezer was discovered by law enforcement during the execution of search warrants at the property, according to court records, though they suspected one had recently been removed from the aircraft hangar before they started looking.
In a statement Monday, Grandview police issued a call for members of the public to contact them in regard to the online sale of a deep freezer that is part of an “active felony investigation.” Further details about the nature of the investigation, or the exact reason the freezer was sought, were not immediately disclosed by police.
Police suspect the item may have been sold online — possibly through Facebook or Craigslist — in spring 2021. They were asking anyone who had social media contact with Hendricks during that time, specifically concerning a freezer, to come forward and contact Det. Megan Larkey of Grandview police at 816-316-4910.
Hendricks is accused in Aubry’s killing alongside Maggie Ybarra, 31. Authorities have said the pair met online and maintained an intimate relationship. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In addition to the discovery of human remains on his property, witnesses interviewed by detectives alleged Hendricks and Ybarra admitted to Aubry’s murder and the hiding of her body in graphic detail.
Authorities began investigating Hendricks and Ybarra in April after a then-13-year-old girl who was in foster care told police she was sexually assaulted by them and shown pictures of a dead woman. The girl also told investigators she knew the area where the body could be found, court papers say.
Other witness statements included a neighbor’s report of suspicious activity at the Grain Valley home as heavy equipment was seen there digging in the yard.
Aubry’s body was identified by authorities through DNA testing. During searches of the Grain Valley property, authorities also allegedly discovered a circular saw in a tool cabinet in the aircraft hangar that matched DNA with one of Aubry’s relatives.
This story was originally published September 19, 2022 at 8:59 PM.
