Kansas
'I can't fully mourn': Kansas City mother calls on police for answers following son's death
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a tear-filled, candle light vigil on Monday night, a family continues their fight for justice and answers.
35-year-old Jonathan Rodgers was found near Independence Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri’s, Northeast with serious injuries.
He later died at the hospital.
Jack McCormick
The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department said officers found Rodgers with bodily trauma on Independence Avenue after receiving another call for a response near the intersection of east 6th Street and Monroe Avenue
Both calls were connected to Rodgers.
Later investigation revealed Rodgers’ injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma.
Rodgers’ family is frustrated with KCPD over their lack of answers.
“Everybody’s just putting this off like, ‘Oh, he was homeless,’” Zelpha Rodgers, Jonathan’s mother, said. “He was not just a homeless person. He had a home, he had a family, he had children.”
Jack McCormick
Zelpha Rodgers has returned to the intersection of Sixth and Monroe many times, looking for any information about what led up to her son’s death.
She told KSHB 41 News police didn’t initially contact her, and now aren’t responding to her many calls for answers.
“I came down here searching that next morning,” she said. “They never notified me. Everything I know, I have found out on my own.”
Jonathan was living on the streets for periods of time, but would sometimes return home to his mother and three young children.
On Oct. 17, Zelpha says Jonathan decided to come home for good.
“He was just getting things back together,” Zelpha Rodgers said.
According to Zelpha, Jonathan had called her earlier that afternoon and had asked to be picked up at the dollar store on Independence Avenue.
“He tossed his bag in the front seat and said, ‘I’m running around to the ATM, I’ll be right back’,” Zelpha Rodgers said.
But that was the last time she saw her son.
After Jonathan did not return to the car for awhile, Zelpha says she had to take the children home for dinner and bed.
It wasn’t until her family pulled up a news article she realized her son may not be coming home.
“I want to know why my son’s case is being blown over like it’s just somebody that has no family, no nothing,” Zelpha Rodgers said.
KCPD has not identified any suspects or stated why Jonathan had bodily trauma. A spokesperson told KSHB 41 News detectives are actively investigating.
Unsolved crimes among the homeless community is an unfortunate occurrence Shelter KC’s executive director sees too often.
“It’s just not safe in the streets,” Eric Burger said. “It just isn’t.”
Brian Luton
Burger explained mental health issues and substance abuse struggles are contributing to the rising rates of chronic homelessness in the KC area.
“That already makes you vulnerable,” Burger said. “That already makes you into a situation where you are more susceptible to be victimized.”
Zelpha explained she refuses to let her son be just another victim.
“I cannot fully mourn or grieve until I got answers,” Zelpha Rodgers said.
If you are experiencing a housing crisis, you can call 211 to get in touch with the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness and learn about housing resources.
If you know someone or see someone who is unhoused, calling 311 will notify the Kansas City outreach team who works directly with the shelters.
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KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Residents are without power after a storm swept through the Kansas City metro late Friday night into Saturday morning.
According to Evergy’s power outage map, as of 12:22 a.m., 76 active outages are causing 1,628 customers to be without power.
WEATHER UPDATES: First Warn Weather Day: The final round of storms on the way. Here’s what to expect
This is an active situation. KCTV5 will make updates to this story as they’re made available.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She’s reported on the Chiefs’ decision to move its team facility to Olathe since the team made the announcement in December. That coverage has included amplifying the voices of residents who have different perspectives on the project, which has ranged from excitement to scrutiny. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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Kansas City Chiefs President Mark Donovan said Friday the team is drawing inspiration from recent team headquarters projects with the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys as they develop plans for their own new headquarters in Olathe.
In December, the club reached an agreement with Kansas officials to move across the state line. The agreement called for a $3 billion, domed stadium in western Kansas City, Kansas, and a new team headquarters and practice facility near Kansas Highway 10 and Ridgeview Road in Olathe.
Donovan’s remarks on Friday came during the Olathe Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center.
Elyse Schoenig/KSHB
The chamber’s theme for 2026, “Olathe Rising,” appears well-timed as the Chiefs work to build out their team headquarters vision.
Donovan said the team and its partners have been busy behind the scenes and hope to have updates on the project in the near future.
He said the club will look to work with the Olathe School District and the Olathe City Council in their plans.
The club is exploring a unique component to the facility by incorporating flag football into the project.
Flag football has been a priority of the club and the National Football League. The sport will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
In April, the Kansas State High School Athletics Association is set to vote on whether to sanction girls’ flag football as a high school varsity sport.
Funding for the club’s Olathe project will come in part from the sale of bonds paid for by certain sales tax revenues.
In February, the Olathe City Council approved participation in a STAR bonds district to build the team’s new headquarters and training facility at College Boulevard and Ridgeview Road.
Elsewhere on Friday, Kansas legislators introduced the Kansas Sports Authority Act. The act would create a nine-member board to oversee all aspects of sports facility construction.
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WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A former Kansas wrestling coach was charged with creating child sexual abuse materials by secretly recording minors showering during an athletic competition.
According to court documents, 37-year-old Ryan Brungardt of Salina is charged with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography.
Brungardt is a former employee at Lakewood Middle School and former wrestling coach for Salina Central High School.
Brungardt is accused of using a cellphone to record three minors while they showered in a locker room during the Tournament of Champions, a wrestling tournament was held at Newton High in January 2024.
Brungardt made his initial court appearance for the criminal complaint on Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooks G. Severson.
A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday
Investigators are in the process of reviewing additional seized cellphone videos in this case that are suspected to have been recorded at wrestling meets in Newton, Hays, Garden City and Salina during the 2023-2024 wrestling season.
Anyone who believes they witnessed crimes or any suspicious activity at these events is asked to contact the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (785) 600-8790 or report at www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.
Copyright 2026 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com
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