‘Tragically taken away’: Family mourns KC area woman shot, left in ditch New Year’s Day
Family of a Belton woman who died after being shot and left in rural Miami County on New Year’s Day have started an online fundraiser to assist with organizing a memorial to celebrate her life.
Jennifer Christine Rodriguez, 41, died in the hospital on Jan. 3, two days after deputies from the Miami County Sheriff’s department found her severely wounded by gunshot in a ditch near 299th Street and Somerset Road, a few miles east of Paola.
A 36-year-old suspect in her killing was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Grandview the same day.
In a webpage on the GoFundMe platform, Rodriguez’s niece wrote that her aunt “was tragically taken away from us” and “we are all in a state of shock.” She said the family would appreciate donations to help organize a service to celebrate her life.
“I cannot even begin to express our gratitude for the people in our lives showing so much love and support to us all as we get through this together,” she wrote, adding: “My aunt Jen is a beautiful woman and just overall one of (a) kind. She will continue to live on in all of us.”
The fatal shooting of Rodriguez was investigated by the Miami County Sheriff’s Office. On the day she died, the sheriff’s department announced that they had identified John R. Gray of Grandview as her shooter.
Authorities have said the shooting likely unfolded in Gray’s pickup truck in Miami County after Gray and Rodriguez left his Grandview home on New Year’s Day. Gray allegedly left Rodriguez in the ditch before driving back home, where he was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police.
