The Disappearance of Mariah Cockshell

 

Mariah Cockshell has been missing since March 22nd, 2025. The 26-year-old woman was last seen around 3:00 AM that morning, in the area of East 54th Street and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. Mariah never returned home, and her loved ones have never seen or heard from her again.

Mariah was reported missing by family members on March 28th, 2025. She was living in Gladstone at the time of her disappearance, so her missing persons’ report was filed with the Gladstone PD. However, once police began investigating, it was determined that the last known sighting of Mariah occurred on March 22nd in Kansas City. 

When reports about Mariah’s disappearance began to circulate, it was noted that she vanished shortly after leaving her workplace. She was last seen wearing a pink sweatshirt and black scrub pants. In September 2025, months after Mariah vanished, the Gladstone PD released an image of her wearing the clothing she was last seen wearing. At this time, police have not disclosed how this image was obtained.

Certain reports about Mariah’s disappearance state that “she was believed to be in danger” at the time she vanished. Investigators have also not elaborated on what kind of danger they believe she was in, or why - but they have appealed to the public for anyone who might have seen Mariah at the time of her disappearance to come forward.

The Gladstone Police Department has investigative agency over Mariah’s case. If you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please contact authorities at 816-436-3550.

Sources:
Gladstone PD Facebook
Kansas City Star

KCTV 5, (2)

The Disappearance of Jacqueline McNeil

 

Jacqueline McNeil has been missing since June 19th, 2024. 

The then-25-year-old was last seen in St. Louis, Missouri. On the day of her disappearance, Jacqueline met up with her father at the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Kossuth Avenue next to Fairground Park. According to her father, the two sat in his vehicle and chatted; he then gave her some money before they parted ways. Jacqueline’s loved ones have never seen or heard from her again.

Certain reports indicate that Jacqueline was homeless at the time of her disappearance. Despite this, she kept in frequent contact with her family members - especially her two young children. Friends and family have said that Jacqueline’s sudden absence was completely out-of-character, and they have since been fighting to find answers about her disappearance. 

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol are both involved in the investigation into Jacqueline’s disappearance. If you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please contact authorities at 314‐231‐1212 or 573‐526‐6178.

Sources:
Charley Project
FOX 2
Missing People in America
Missouri State Highway Patrol

The Disappearance and Death of Monyiah Holman

 

Monyiah Holman was reported missing in Missouri during April 2024. Reports state that the then-26-year-old was last seen in Clayton. The circumstances surrounding Monyiah’s disappearance are unclear, but some sources list the date she went missing as April 15th, 2024.

There was very little reporting on Monyiah’s disappearance. Over a year passed without any news on the missing woman. Then, on October 3rd, 2025, it was reported that a utility worker had found the body of a woman in a vacant lot in the North Riverfront neighborhood of St. Louis. 

The press release states that authorities responded to the scene shortly after 10:00 AM. The report reads, in part, “Officers arrived on scene and located an adult female, who was not conscious and not breathing. EMS responded and pronounced the female dead on the scene.” At first, the identity of the deceased woman was not immediately clear. Days later, on October 8th, it was announced that the woman was identified as Monyiah Holman.

It appears that Monyiah had not been deceased for an extended period of time when her body was found. The wording in the press release indicates that first responders checked Monyiah’s body for consciousness and breathing; an act that would not have been necessary if her body had been in a state of decomposition. This makes it likely that Monyiah was alive for approximately 17 months after being reported missing. 

Monyiah’s whereabouts and actions between April 2024 and October 2025 are unknown by investigators. Monyiah’s cause and manner of death are also still unknown. As of mid-October 2025, it was reported that these circumstances were still being investigated. 

Police have appealed for anyone who might have seen or interacted with Monyiah between April 2024 and October 2025 to come forward. They have also appealed for anyone with information about her death to come forward. If you have information that could help solve this case, please contact SLMPD at 314-444-5371.

Sources:
Charley Project Fox 2 News KSDK St. Louis PD

The Disappearance of Kelly Allen

Source: Facebook

Kelly Allen had a busy life in early 2007. The then-20-year-old lived at her mother's home in St. Louis, Missouri. She was a nursing student, worked as a home caregiver, and was looking for other employment opportunities as well. By all accounts, Kelly had many things to be excited about - finishing her degree, advancing her career, and growing into her future. Unfortunately, that future was halted when Kelly vanished on March 13th, 2007.

On March 7th, 2007, Kelly went to a female friend's residence in Berkeley, Missouri, where she spent the next few days. She was still staying with her friend on March 13th - the day of her disappearance. That day seemingly began as a regular one. Kelly, who had been looking for a job closer to her home, went to a job interview for a local telemarketing company. The interview seemingly went well, as Kelly left with plans to return for a follow-up interview in the near future.

Kelly's friend went to her respective job that day as well. She stated that she saw Kelly at her apartment before leaving for work, and she also spoke to Kelly on the phone at some point during the day. All seemed fine during those interactions. However, when the friend later returned from work, Kelly was gone. She has never been seen or heard from again.

Kelly's personal belongings were still at her friend's house, which indicated that she did not plan to leave long-term. However, days later, Kelly did not show up for her follow-up interview. At that point, her family knew something was wrong. They subsequently reported her missing.

Family and friends of Kelly described her sudden absence as uncharacteristic. There are no indications that she planned to leave voluntarily. Not only was Kelly looking forward to starting a new job, but she also left behind her personal belongings - including a $2000 tax refund check that was never cashed. Her disappearance was soon deemed as suspicious by investigators.

There are very few additional details available about Kelly's case. In 2023, it was reported that authorities are still actively investigating, but there have not been many leads. A potential break occurred in 2017, when Kelly's cousin snapped a picture of a woman on a train who he thinks might be Kelly. However, as of today, police have been unable to determine the identity of the woman in the photograph.

Picture of woman on train, taken by Kelly's cousin in 2017.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police are in charge of investigating Kelly's disappearance. If you have any information that could help solve the case, please contact authorities at 314-444-5738 or email missingpersons@mshp.dps.mo.gov.

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Sources:
Charley Project
Medium
Missouri State Police
NamUs
Our Black Girls

The Abduction of Sophia Franklin

 

During February 2025, an AMBER Alert was issued in the states of Wisconsin, Arkansas and Missouri, for Sophia Franklin - a 16-year-old missing from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. The teen girl was last seen at her family's home on the evening of February 2nd, 2025. The following morning, Sophia was gone. Her family contacted police shortly after realizing she wasn't at the residence.

It was immediately feared that Sophia left her house to meet up with Gary Day - a 40-year-old man with a history of abusing children. Sophia and Day reportedly began talking online in April 2024. On July 29th, 2024, Sophia told her parents she was going to stay with a friend in the Beaver Dam area. In reality, she was picked up by Day and driven to his residence in Austin, Arkansas. 

Gary Day. (ABC News)

Day was already on probation at this point due to a child endangerment charge from 2020. A probation officer made a routine stop by Day's home during December 2024 and noticed a young girl running out of the back of the residence. It was eventually learned that the young girl was Sophia; a 16-year-old from Wisconsin. Sophia eventually told officers that she had been there since August and planned to marry Day.

Sophia's parents were reportedly shocked to learn of their daughter's relationship with Day, as they thought she had been staying with a friend in the local area. Sophia was subsequently returned to her family's home in Wisconsin. An order of protection was put in place, forbidding Day and Sophia to have contact. 

At some point in the midst of all this, Sophia learned she was pregnant with Day's child. The child was conceived in Arkansas - where the age of consent is 16 - so Day was not charged with statutory rape. It's believed that Sophia was approximately 3 months along at the time the February 2025 AMBER alerts were issued. 

Despite the order of protection, Day and Sophia continued to have contact via text and email after her return to Wisconsin. Then, in early February 2025, the two met up in person once again. Day drove to Wisconsin and was captured by home security cameras walking by the Franklin's house on the morning of February 3rd.

Source: Beaver Dam PD

Shortly thereafter, Sophia was discovered to be missing from the home. An AMBER alert was immediately issued in the state of Wisconsin, asking the public to be on the lookout for a black 2014 Buick LaCrosse. The car had recently been seen using two different plates: Pennsylvania KGW5186 and Arkansas BBR20L.

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February 4th, 2025: Gary Day is charged.

On February 4th, 2025, the Dodge County District Attorney filed two felony charges against Gary Day: 2 counts of child enticement and one count of child abduction. The first child enticement charge count is dated as July 29th, 2024 - the first time Day picked Sophia up and brought her to Arkansas. The second enticement charge count is dated February 3rd, 2025.

February 6th-7th, 2025: The AMBER Alert is extended across states.

On February 6th, 2025, the AMBER alert for Sophia was issued in Arkansas as well - noting that Gary Day is from there, and he had traveled there with Sophia in the past.

The following day, the AMBER alert was extended to Missouri, as it was believed that the two had traveled through there. There was a potential sighting of Day's car in Springfield, but it remains unconfirmed.

February 9th, 2025: Gary Day's phone pings one final time.

On February 10th, authorities confirmed that Gary Day's phone was active in Arkansas the previous day - February 9th, 2025. However, the phone has since been shut off and has not pinged again. This gave investigators a potential lead on Sophia and Day being in Arkansas, but the possibility that they are traveling/hiding through other states remains as well.

February 12th, 2025 - April 3rd, 2025: the whereabouts of Sophia and Day are unknown.

On February 12th, 2025, a missing persons poster/flyer for Sophia was distributed across the United States. At this point, Sophia's abduction made national news. 

Click or tap to enlarge.

There were obvious concerns about Sophia being with Day - not only is he an adult and she is a minor, but he also has a history of abusing children. In 2020, he was arrested after his 4-month-old child was found to have a broken femur bone. Though Day denied the charges, it is believed that he caused said injury. 

April 3rd, 2025: Sophia is found. 

On April 3rd, 2025, it was reported that Sophia and Gary Day were both found alive in Nebraska. Reports state that a couple grew suspicious after speaking with Sophia at a truck stop and called police. Sophia and Day were eventually located, and Day was taken into custody.

Day is being charged with two counts of abduction of a child and two counts of child enticement causing mental/bodily harm. His case is pending.

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Sources:
ABC WISN 2, (2)
NCMEC

WTMJ

The Disappearance and Death of Sebastian 'Ty' Husted

The above images are of Sebastian Tyrese Husted - known as Ty by family and friends - pictured at the age of 18. The image on the right is the last known image of Ty before he vanished. He went missing on January 22nd, 2018.

Ty posted the pictures to his Facebook page three days earlier, on January 19th. That same day, he also wrote “Feels good to be workin’ again” in a Facebook post. Ty was referring to a job he had recently gotten as a power washer at a hog farm in Mercer County, Missouri. The hog farm was over an hour’s drive away from his family’s home in Centerville Iowa. 

On the day Ty was last seen, he arranged to carpool with a coworker to the farm. However, after being driven there, Ty reportedly texted his brother and asked him to pick him up, as his coworker was acting strange and aggressive. His brother replied to ask for an address, but Ty never got back to him. He never returned home and has never been seen or heard from again. Ty was reported missing two days later.

Ty’s family members later learned that the co-worker returned to Centerville without him. Police inevitably questioned this man, but according to Ty’s family, nothing ever came of their questioning. Police looked at Ty’s cell phone records, which revealed that his final phone ping was near the hog farm on the day of his disappearance. 

Eventually, searches were conducted in that area, and pits at the hog farm were drained, but unfortunately no clues were found. These searches not conducted until weeks after his disappearance, so many believed that they were conducted too late. By this point, evidence could have potentially been destroyed by the hogs or other environmental factors on the farm.

Ty’s sister Ieesha Husted told reporters that she believes there was no urgency in the early stages of Ty’s disappearance because investigators thought he was missing on his own accord. However, Ty’s family members never believed this to be true. Ty had a child on the way and was reportedly looking forward to becoming a father. 

Ieesha also told reporters that their family has tried to reach out to the co-worker Ty was last seen with on many occasions. They have not received any replies from him. It is unclear if police are still investigating this man. He has not been identified in the public.

Years passed without any updates in Ty's case. Then, in April 2024, turkey hunters found human remains on a private property in northeast Mercer County. Days later, those remains were confirmed to be that of Sebastian Tyrese Husted. 

At this time, a cause/manner of death has not been revealed. It appears that the circumstances surrounding Ty's death are still being investigated. Ty's family is still hoping to find answers about what led to his disappearance and death. 

If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact Mercer County Sheriff’s Office at (660) 748-3165.

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Sources:
Charley Project

Des Moines Register
Iowa Department of Public Safety
News Press Now
Ottumwa Courier

People
Sebastian's Facebook

The Suspicious Disappearance and Death of Nicole Mallatt

Source: KSHB 41

Nicole Mallatt was amongst the millions of people in the United States who were preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday during November 2019. The 36-year-old was looking forward to having quality time with her children, as they planned to make their Thanksgiving meal together. Unfortunately, this never got to happen, as Nicole vanished on November 26th, 2019 - just two days before the holiday.

At the time of her disappearance, Nicole lived with her boyfriend, Brad Shreve, and their four children in Bates County, Missouri. Their residence on SW County Road 3508 is considered to be located in a rural area. Nicole was last seen just down the street from her residence on the evening she vanished. 

According to reports, Nicole's ex-husband Richie Mallatt picked her up near her home that evening. Richie later told investigators that the two spent approximately 45 minutes together before he dropped Nicole off in the same area where he picked her up. A short time later, a neighbor driving by saw a woman who he believed to be Nicole standing on the side of that same road. After that final sighting, Nicole was never seen alive again. 

Nicole was reported missing on November 29th, 2019. A few days later, searchers found Nicole's backpack, shoes, and cell phone alongside a creek located near the area where she was last seen. Investigators also searched Nicole's residence but did not disclose if any evidence was found. 

Nearly a year passed without any further sign of Nicole. Then, on November 3rd, 2020, a farmer plowing his field found a pair of sweatpants with a human femur bone inside them. He then discovered several more human remains alongside a nearby creek - the same creek where Nicole's items had been found almost a year earlier. 

Police were called, and the responding investigators immediately had a hunch that the remains belonged to Nicole. Three days later, it was confirmed that the remains were, in fact, that of Nicole Mallatt. However, an autopsy was unable to confirm an exact cause of death. This, in addition to many other suspicious aspects of Nicole's case, leaves several unanswered questions. 

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What happened to Nicole?

Source: Facebook

As previously noted, Nicole spent time with her ex-husband Richie Mallatt shortly before her disappearance. While this inevitably leads to questions about Richie's potential involvement, he has never been publicly labeled as a suspect. Additionally, a neighbor believes that he saw Nicole after Richie dropped her off that evening.

That neighbor, Josh Mellenbruch, told reporters in 2023 that he saw a woman matching Nicole's description standing on the side of SW County Road, wearing a hoodie and carrying a backpack. Mellenbruch explained that "he slowed down and asked Nicole if she needed a ride since she was standing out in the dark. She declined the ride, saying she was waiting on someone to pick her up."

It appears that it was never confirmed that the woman Mellenbruch saw was, in fact, Nicole, but it certainly seems plausible. There were no other reported sightings of Nicole after that instance. 

Before Nicole's disappearance.

According to reports, Nicole sent messages to friends and family members in the weeks leading up to her disappearance that indicated that she was going through a hard time. In October 2019, she sent a text message to her aunt that said "I don't know what to do anymore. If I don't leave here soon, he's only going to end up killing me." 

Nicole sent messages of similar nature to other people around the same time. She also had a long phone conversation with a woman named Heather Smith - Nicole's friend of over 20 years. Heather told reporters that Nicole said she was going to leave after Thanksgiving "if things continued to go the way they were going." If Nicole was, in fact, serious about leaving after Thanksgiving, it seems all the more suspicious that she vanished right before the holiday. 

It also seems likely that Nicole was referring to her live-in boyfriend, Brad Shreve, in the aforementioned messages. However, according to investigators, Nicole did not identify anyone by name in the texts. Still, suspicions about Brad are present.

Relationship with Brad Shreve.

Nicole and Brad had been together, seemingly off and on, for 18 years. The couple had four children together. At some point throughout those 18 years, Nicole married another man before seemingly getting back together with Brad. 

Nicole's family and friends told reporters that domestic violence was present in her relationship with Brad. In 2018, Brad was charged with assault after getting into a physical altercation with Nicole and another man at their home. In October 2019, Nicole reportedly called police about a "domestic disturbance", but when officers showed up at the house, she stated she actually told dispatchers to not send anyone.

During that incident, Brad ended up being arrested for illegally growing marijuana and for felony possession of a weapon. According to the police report, both Brad and Nicole told the deputy that their dispute was verbal, so no charges related to a domestic disturbance were filed. 

On November 25th, 2019 - just a day before Nicole vanished - she reportedly messaged her sister-in-law, saying that she might need to stay with her for a few days due to a fight she had gotten into with Brad. 

Brad has acknowledged that he and Nicole were, in fact, fighting shortly before her disappearance. However, he denies any involvement in her disappearance and death. In 2023, Brad told a reporter that he went to his father's house in Butler, Missouri on the day of Nicole's disappearance. The reporter corroborated this with Brad's father, but it's unclear if police have been able to confirm this alibi.

Searching for Nicole.

Reports state that Nicole was reported missing by Brad's family on November 29th, 2019. The initial missing persons advisory stated that Nicole "might have suicidal ideations." Nicole's family members do not believe she was suicidal, nor do they believe she would voluntarily be out-of-touch with her children. 

As mentioned earlier, a search for Nicole turned up her cell phone, shoes, and backpack - but not Nicole herself. The items were located alongside a creek, approximately 100 yards away from the property line of Nicole's residence.

Search teams during a search for Nicole. (Source: KSHB 41)

Months passed, and Nicole remained missing. Meanwhile, the relationship between Nicole's family and Brad's family began to deteriorate. Nicole's loved ones reportedly pointed the finger at Brad; claiming he was responsible for Nicole's disappearance. During June 2020, police were called several times about threats being made towards Brad and his family by Nicole's supporters. 

Nicole is found - but why did it take so long?

Nicole's partial remains were found by a farmer plowing his property on November 3rd, 2020. According to reports, her remains were found just 500 yards away from where her items were found in November 2019 - and just 600 yards away from her own property line. 

Many have questioned how Nicole was not found during the professional searches shortly after she went missing. While it seems possible that she was simply not spotted, some have questioned if her remains were placed there after the searches were conducted. 

An inconclusive autopsy.

Due to the fact that Nicole's remains were bones at the time they were found, investigators were not able to conduct a toxicology examination. The state of the remains also did not reveal an obvious cause of death. 

Investigators have not labeled Nicole's death as a homicide, but the case is still open. Police are still searching for clues and leads.

Where the case stands.

In 2023, it was reported that detectives have a few "persons of interest" who they have not publicly named due to the ongoing investigation. It is also believed that people who have not spoken up know about what might have happened to Nicole. 

Nicole's loved ones are hoping to find answers. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

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Sources:
FOX 4 KC
KSBH 41, (2)
People
Uncovered

The Murders of Trina'ty Riley and Kayden Johnson

Trina'ty Riley and Kayden Johson. (source: gunmemorial.org)

Trina'ty Riley (18) and Kayden Johnson (2) were murdered at their St. Louis, Missouri home on April 30th, 2019. The mother and son were found deceased inside their Ferris Avenue residence shortly before midnight. Both Trina'ty and Kayden had been shot to death. 

Neighbors of Trina'ty and Kayden reported hearing "multiple gunshots before hearing the screeching sound of a car speeding away." Said neighbors also stated that Trina'ty attempted to shield herself and her son by hiding in a closet. Unfortunately, they were both shot after being found by the killer. 

In the early stages of the investigation, police appealed to the public for tips that could lead to a suspect. Details about the investigation have otherwise not been publicly revealed. What is known is that years have passed since Trina'ty and Kayden were killed, and arrest has still not been made. 

The FBI is offering a monetary reward up to $25,000 for "information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the homicide of Trina'ty Riley and Kayden Johnson." If you have any information that could help the investigation, please submit a tip. 

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Sources:
Federal Bureau of Investigation
FOX 2 Now
Gun Memorial
KSDK 
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Regional Crimestoppers

The Disappearance and Murder of Jerome Baker III

source: missingleads.com

May 15th, 2016 was supposed to be a fun day for 28-year-old Jerome Baker III and his six children. That day, Jerome planned to take his children to Six Flags in Eureka, Missouri. Before they could leave for their trip to the amusement park, Jerome seemingly vanished from his home in St. Louis. He was never seen alive by his loved ones again. 

According to reports, a woman that Jerome was dating planned to join him and his children on the trip to Six Flags. The couple spent the morning at Jerome's residence, preparing for their day at the park. Then, around 10:00 AM, the woman borrowed Jerome's car, bringing one of his kids with her, to go pick up her own children for the trip. 

After the woman left, Jerome called his best friend to ask if he could borrow his car to drive the rest of the children to Six Flags. His friend agreed, and subsequently drove over to Jerome's house so he could use the vehicle. When his friend arrived, approximately 11 minutes after their phone call ended, Jerome was nowhere to be found. 

Most of Jerome's personal items, including his wallet, jacket, and extra cash were left behind. The only item that vanished with him was his cell phone - but all calls and texts to the phone went unanswered. Jerome's mother was alerted about her son's sudden absence, and as such, she went to his house to investigate. Once there, Jerome's mother noticed that there were drag marks in the dirt in her son's backyard. 

Jerome was reported missing to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police. Unfortunately, the police's investigation did not yield any clues to Jerome's whereabouts. Months later, in October 2016, a utility worker found a human skull in a vacant dump site on Bircher Boulevard and Riverview Boulevard. The skull was later identified as that of Jerome Baker III. His remains were found an approximate 10-minutes' drive from his home. Jerome's death was classified as a homicide.

It's been reported that Jerome's mother has pleaded with police several times to take more action in her son's case. In fact, after Jerome vanished, his mother reportedly made "pleas to have her son’s phone pinged, with law enforcement initially giving her the runaround. When they finally acted, a chilling revelation emerged – a 911 call made on the day of Jerome’s disappearance captured him fighting for his life against multiple assailants."

Despite this information, there have been no arrests for Jerome's murder. No suspects or persons of interest have ever been publicly identified. The case remains unsolved, and Jerome's loved ones are left without answers. 

If you any information that could lead to the arrest of Jerome's killer(s), please contact St. Louis Police Department at (314) 444-5738.

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Sources:
The Argus
Charley Project
Fox 2 Now
KSDK
Missing Leads

The Disappearance of Kennedy Walton

source: nbcnews.com

Kennedy Walton has been missing since the morning hours of March 4th, 2022. The then-26-year-old vanished after leaving the Show-Me's Bar & Grill in St. Charles, Missouri. Kennedy has never been seen or heard from again. 

Kennedy lived with two roommates in St. Louis at the time of her disappearance. Her family lived an approximate 25 minutes' drive away, in Belleville, Missouri. Kennedy spent much of March 3rd, 2022, in Belleville with her family. Her mother was having a surgical procedure, so Kennedy came to Belleville to take care of her younger sisters while their mother was in the hospital. 

According to reports, Kennedy drove her mother home from the hospital around 9:30 PM that evening. About an hour later, she borrowed her mother's car to drive to Show-Me’s Sports Bar and Grill, where she met up with a group of people to celebrate a friend's birthday. Surveillance cameras from the bar captured Kennedy exiting the building around 1:10 AM. 

One of Kennedy's friends told police that Kennedy left the bar abruptly. When the friend caught up with her, he noticed that Kennedy was crying in her mother's car. He asked her what was wrong, and she reportedly replied that "she was going to be fine, and nothing was wrong."

Kennedy and her friends left the bar in their respective vehicles shortly thereafter. According to her friends, Kennedy sped up and passed them on the highway. The friends drove to Kennedy's house, but once there, they saw her driving away from the residence. She was supposed to return to Belleville to drive her sisters to school later that morning, but she never arrived. Her fate since then remains a mystery.

Days after she vanished, on March 10th, 2022, the car Kennedy was driving was found abandoned just two blocks away from her residence in St. Louis. A neighbor reportedly saw a man parking the vehicle in that location. According to Kennedy's mother, the car had been "completely cleaned out", and several items were missing from the vehicle. However, investigators stated that they "did not observe any damage to the vehicle and there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the location."

In June 2023, a detective working the case told reporters that the investigation was still active, but details about the case were not going to be disclosed at that time. Since then, investigators have not provided any updates in Kennedy's case. She remains missing today. 

If you have any information that could lead to Kennedy's whereabouts, please contact the Belleville Police at 618-234-1212 or Crimestoppers at 866-371-8477.

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Sources:
Charley Project
Fox 2 Now
NBC News
Newsbreak

The Murder of Melissa Peskey

 

Melissa Peskey was shot to death while on a road trip with her two children on December 13th, 2018. 

Missouri State Patrol troopers were alerted around 10:30 PM that evening about a single car crash into a median on Interstate 70 near Boonville. When the troopers arrived at the scene of the crash, they found the 40-year-old woman deceased in the driver's seat. Her two children, then aged 5 and 11, were not physically harmed in the crash. 

At first glance, it appeared that Melissa had been killed as a result of a car accident. Shortly thereafter, Melissa's autopsy confirmed that she actually "died of a gunshot wound, from a weapon fired from outside the vehicle." Melissa crashed her vehicle into the median after she had been struck by the bullet.

Melissa and her children were over 450 miles away from their home in Hartford, South Dakota at the time she was killed. Detectives initially thought she might have been the victim of a random shooting, but the investigation soon led them to believe that Melissa was targeted by her killer. 

Years have passed without justice for Melissa. In December 2023, five years after the murder, it was reported that police do not have any suspects or persons of interest in the case. However, there is a lot of speculation about one person in particular: Melissa's husband/father of her children, Ryan Peskey. 

As of today, police have never publicly labeled Ryan as a person of interest. Still, there are several occurrences involving Ryan, both before and after his wife's death, that have fueled the speculation about his potential involved in her death. 

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Information from Melissa's friend.

A friend of Melissa spoke to reporters at KELOLAND six weeks after Melissa's death. According to the friend, who opted to remain anonymous, Melissa was having several issues with her husband, Ryan Peskey. Melissa reportedly asked Ryan for a divorce shortly before he was deployed with the South Dakota National Guard. 

Melissa's friend told reporters, "She told me that she had asked for a divorce from Ryan right before he went for deployment. And there were all kinds of problems from the minute she asked for the divorce, including the kids being put into the middle."

The friend also stated that Melissa was afraid of Ryan. In fact, the friend provided text messages that Melissa had sent that expressed her fears for her husband.

source: keloland.com

Melissa's friend explained that she spoke to Melissa on the phone after this text exchange. During their conversation, Melissa told her friend that Ryan had threatened her life. She then told her friend, "If anything ever happens to me, you have to promise me that you will let the police know that Ryan did this."

Ryan denies involvement.

Ryan Peskey has denied involvement in Melissa's death. While police have not publicly confirmed this, Ryan told reporters at KELOLAND in January 2019 that authorities told him that he was a person of interest. He claimed that investigators labeled him as such because he did not answer the phone at 11:00 PM on the evening of the shooting, when investigators called him to inform him about his wife's death. Ryan said that he eventually did call them back around 2:00 AM.

Many reports state that Melissa and Ryan's children were taken into foster care after Melissa's death. This was only for a short period of time as Melissa was killed in the state of Missouri, where they had no nearby relatives. The children were eventually returned to South Dakota and Ryan's custody, where it appears they still remain today. 

Melissa's life insurance money.

In 2020, it was reported that Ryan was seeking the money from Melissa's life insurance policy. Melissa reportedly had two taken out two life insurance policies years earlier, in 2003 and 2008 respectively. Both policies totaled in listed Ryan Peskey as the primary beneficiary. The two combined totaled in $550,000. 

The insurance company, New York Life, filed a complaint against Ryan Peskey on March 9th, 2020. According to the lawsuit, "South Dakota and Missouri have statutes that disqualify a beneficiary who willfully and unlawfully causes or participates with another in causing the death of the owner, or the insured individual under a life insurance policy or certificate.”

While Ryan has not been charged with anything related to Melissa's death, he has also not been ruled out completely. New York Life reportedly feared the company would be sued due to "possible conflicts of interest due to Ryan Peskey being named as the administrator of Melissa Peskey’s estate."

The judge ultimately decided to have the money paid to the U.S. District Court Clerks Office of South Dakota. 

The investigation.

As previously mentioned, investigators have never publicly named any suspects in the murder of Melissa Peskey. Hundreds of leads have been followed, but nothing has led to an arrest. There were reportedly "little to no" witnesses to the crime, which has made it even more difficult to solve. 

While there are numerous suspicions about Ryan Peskey, investigators do not appear to have any direct evidence that would warrant an arrest. It does not appear that there are any strong leads on any other potential suspects either. Investigators are still hoping that somebody with information about the murder will come forward.

Know something? Please report.

There is a monetary reward available for anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for Melissa's death. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Missouri Highway Patrol at 573-751-1000.

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Sources:
Dakota News Now
KELOLAND
NWest Iowa

Oxygen