Missing teen abducted by force from Independence found dead inside abandoned car on I-435
A missing teen who had been abducted by force from an Independence neighborhood was found dead of a gunshot wound inside an abandoned car on a Kansas City highway’s exit ramp Sunday afternoon, police said.
The family of Preston Bell, 19, reported him missing after he was forced into a black Chevrolet Malibu about 8:30 p.m. in the 500 block of South Brookside Avenue in Independence on Saturday, police said in a missing person report posted to Facebook.
Bell’s family was not able to reach him. Police described the car he was forced into as having a Missouri license plate RL4-C4B and a dent in the passenger door. The initial call reported that shots possible had been fired at the time, said Officer Bryan Conley with the Independence Police Department.
At about 4:45 p.m. on Sunday, Kansas City police responded to medical call on the exit ramp from southbound I-435 to Truman Road, where there was a person slumped over in a car.
Arriving officers found a teen, later identified as Bell. inside with a gunshot wound, said Sgt. Phil DiMartino with the Kansas City Police Department. He was declared dead at the scene.
Because he was found dead in Kansas City, detectives and crime scene investigators responded to the area, collected evidence and looked for possible witnesses and surveillance footage.
During their investigation, officers recognized that the abandoned car was the same vehicle associated with Bell’s missing person case and notified the Independence Police Department, which took over the investigation.
The circumstances and motive of the abduction and killing are still being investigated, Conley said. Police have not made any arrests and no suspect was available.
No further information was being released because it was an active homicide investigation, Conley said.
The killing is Independence’s 10th homicide of the year, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. By this time in 2023, there were 11 killings.
Anyone with information about the Bell’s death is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477) or the Independence Police Department at 816-325-7300
This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 7:22 AM.
