Two are charged with murder stemming from drug deal in south Kansas City
Two Kansas residents are facing second-degree murder charges in Jackson County for their alleged roles in a shooting in Kansas City’s Ruskin Hills neighborhood in early April that left one man dead.
Edward Mejia-Santos, 20, and Aelilyona Baker, 19, each face charges of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and delivery of 35 grams or less of marijuana, according to a news release from Jazzlyn Johnson, director of communications for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Officers with the Kansas City Police Department were called to the area of East 107th Street and Marsh Avenue around 1:45 a.m. on April 2, 2026, to assist Kansas City firefighters after the latter discovered a man unresponsive on a nearby sidewalk, officer Alayna Gonzalez, a spokesperson for the department, said in a previous news release.
There, investigators found 19-year-old Tylen Bean suffering from gunshot wounds, according to a probable cause statement written in support of the charges against Mejia-Santos and Baker. Bean was declared dead at the scene around 2 a.m.
During a search of Bean’s cellphone, detectives found Snapchat messages between Bean and another individual, believed to be Baker, setting up an alleged drug deal, the statement said. Investigators found the items discussed during the interaction, a bag of marijuana and a package of cigars, at the scene.
According to the probable cause statement, investigators were able to identify Baker through a phone number tied to the Snapchat account. The account was allegedly deleted 10 minutes after Baker last contacted Bean.
Phone records indicated Baker’s phone was in the area at the time of the shooting, the statement said.
Detectives identified Mejia-Santos through a vehicle associated with him, which was seen leaving the area around the time of the shooting, according to the document. Mejia-Santos’ phone records indicated he was in the area at the time of the shooting, and matched the location of the car caught on city surveillance footage.
The Overland Park Police Department arrested Mejia-Santos while he was in the car on Friday, the statement said. Investigators found two shell casings matching those found at the crime scene in the car’s cupholder.
In an initial interview with detectives, Mejia-Santos, who is from Kansas City Kansas, allegedly said he “loans out his vehicle all the time, and he must have left his phone in the vehicle that day,” the statement said. He said he was at his house with an ex-girlfriend the day Bean died.
Baker, who is from Roeland Park, was also arrested on Friday, the statement said. In an interview with investigators, she initially denied any involvement in the incident.
She later allegedly admitted to being in the car at the time of the shooting, according to the probable cause statement. She reportedly said “people in the back seat” conducted the transaction and shooting, but she sent the messages to Bean.
Baker said she is typically “compensated with money for her involvement,” the statement said.
No further court dates are set for Baker or Mejia-Santos.
