Lenexa woman faces murder charge in KC sleepover shooting that killed teen
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bailey Lewis of Lenexa charged with second-degree murder in teen’s fatal shooting.
- Surveillance and cellphone data link Lewis to both connected crime scenes.
- Gun casings and car records support probable cause for Lewis' arrest.
A 21-year-old Lenexa woman is charged with murder in the death of a 16-year-old Grandview High School student during a sleepover at a friend’s home in Kansas City.
Bailey Lewis faces one count of second-degree felony murder, three counts of accessory armed criminal action and two counts of accessory unlawful use of a weapon, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Traelynn Sibley, just days away from starting her junior year at Grandview High School, was killed when one or more people fired shots into a home in the 3600 block of Norton Avenue on Aug. 9, Kansas City police previously said. She’d been spending the night with a relatively new friend.
According to court documents, officers responded to the shooting about 10 p.m. and found Traelynn in the bathroom with a gunshot wound to her throat. She was taken to a hospital, where she died.
A night turned tragic
Witnesses told police that before the shooting, it was a typical night with the girls fixing each other’s hair at a vanity near the front door, with another female in a back bedroom, while two men played video games in the living room. A toddler was also present.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of gunfire as bullets came through the front door and the nearby living room window and wall, according to court documents.
Traelynn ran to the home’s bathroom, where she collapsed.
The witnesses told police that they did not witness the shooter or shooters, nor did they know who would want to harm them, according to court documents.
Crime scene investigators found numerous 9mm shell cases in the street and on the curb.
“The general spacing of the casings seemed to indicate the person(s) firing the shots were in motion southbound on (redacted) as they were firing,” Kansas City police detective David Adair wrote in the probable cause affidavit. Gunfire also struck a red Mazda parked in the driveway numerous times.
The home had bullet damage, and fragments were found inside and outside.
Surveillance video leads to suspect
Detectives found three surveillance videos that showed what appeared to be a newer gray Hyundai Elantra driving south at high speeds while shots were being fired. They concluded that the Hyundai was the car used in the crime.
After reviewing other cameras, detectives tracked the car to a gas station in the 3900 block of East 31st Street, where it backed into a parking space.
Detectives retrieved video from the gas station, which captured three people exiting the Hyundai and entering the store. The driver was wearing a black mask covering her head and face, which she pulled down inside the store at the clerk’s request. Detectives later identified her as Lewis, according to court documents.
After reviewing Lewis’ social media, detectives allegedly determined Lewis knew one of the persons living at the home. Detectives re-interviewed her, and she told them she knew Lewis, but had stopped speaking with her months earlier after their relationship soured.
Detectives also re-interviewed another person who claimed she believed Lewis had just bought a gray 2025 Hyundai Elantra, as shown in a Facebook post.
Link to another shooting minutes earlier
Detectives reviewed reports from the night of the homicide and found a case where shots were fired into an apartment building about 15 minutes before the fatal shooting. Surveillance video from the area showed a gray Hyundai Elantra driving past twice; the second time, the sound of shots was captured on the video, according to court documents. Casings from both crime scenes indicated they came from the same gun.
Detectives searched police databases and found a gray Hyundai Elantra registered to Lewis. The description of the car matched the car seen in the surveillance video at both scenes.
Detectives also got a warrant for Lewis’ cellphone, which allegedly placed her at both crime scenes when the shootings happened.
Lewis was arrested in Independence on Thursday. At the time of the arrest, she was driving her car with a handgun and cellphone allegedly inside in plain view, according to court documents.
Lewis is being held in Jackson County jail on a $400,000 cash bond.
This story was originally published August 29, 2025 at 2:14 PM.
