Blue Springs man dies in crash Sunday morning in Independence
15 May 2023
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department is investigating a death where a body was found in the woods Saturday evening.
Officers were dispatched to a wooded area near the intersection of 41st and Pittman Rd. on a dead body call. Police said the caller had been in the woods and located what they believed to be a dead body.
Officers found a baby’s body. Detectives and crime scene personnel responded to the scene for investigation.
Police say the word “unfortunate” can’t even begin to describe how tragic this is.
“We pray that someone didn’t intentionally do this to this baby, but we’ll find out,” Sergeant Jake Becchina of KCPD said.
“Today, on Mother’s Day, there is at least one mother without their baby, and those people know who they are. This is obviously a situation we want to devote every resource we have to figuring out, no matter what the explanation is.”
Police are working in conjunction with the medical examiner’s office. They hope to figure out the age, gender and just how long the baby was dead in those woods.
“There’s a whole bunch of homeless camps back there,” Lori Jaster, who lives nearby, said.
Jaster’s home not only backs up to the woods, but the wooded area also sits adjacent. And while she’s shocked and scared, Jaster says she’s not surprised.
“There’s multiple homeless camps back there, multiple, we see people walk in and out of those woods with like buggies and wagons, like carrying stuff. I mean if you go look back there’s like couches back there.”
KCPD says this case will present some real tests for them due to its nature and how young this baby is. They stress the critical need for the public’s help so that they can get the answers they need.
“It’s as big a challenge as any case that I can think of. Without somebody coming forward, it’s hard to quantify how big of a challenge it is,” Sgt. Becchina said.
Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact the Homicide Unit directly at (816) 234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS.