Kansas

KC Unsolved: Mission to find answers decade after Kansas City homicide

Published

2 years ago

June 10, 2024

KC Unsolved: Mission to find answers decade after Kansas City homicide

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A metro woman made it her mission to bring justice to unsolved homicide cases across the Kansas City metro. She pulls inspiration from the homicide of her son, hoping that she will soon be able to experience what justice feels like in her own life.

Someone shot and killed 20-year-old Alonzo Thomas IV on April 5, 2014, near 71st and Wayne in Kansas City, Mo. The shooting, which quickly turned the neighborhood into a crime scene, happened shortly after 1 p.m. Thomas ran for help before collapsing in the doorway of a friend’s house.

Kansas City police continue to search for the person who shot and killed Alonzo Thomas IV in April 2014.(KCTV5)

At 20-years-old, Thomas was a man in the eyes of the law. His mother, Monique Willis, still only sees him as her child.

“He was my only. He was my little boy,” Willis said.

ALSO READ: 2 injured, 1 killed in early-morning shooting on downtown Kansas City sidewalk

Willis has memories of the first two decades of Thomas’ life. Memories she holds tight.

“Trying to teach him and help him and push him to greatness. He pushed pushed back every step of the way. (Laughs)”

But, instead of social media feeds and photo albums filled with pictures and other memories, Willis relies on detectives with a different type of file that contains information about the past decade of life. A decade without Thomas.

Instead of a photo album, Kansas City Police detectives have a binder of evidence. It includes phone records and information about other clues in the homicide case that may eventually be pieced together to form answers to the questions Willis has about the shooting that took her son.

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“It’s a long time. It’s a long time to not know and to (sighs) sit and breathe,” Willis said.

Key Questions

Detectives are focused on two main points in the search for Thomas’ killer.

The first are phone records.

The binder of evidence police have is filled with all kinds of phone record. The reason detectives believe the records may hold a critical key to the investigation is because Thomas received a phone call right before his death. The phone call was so important he went to 71st and Wayne where he was shot and killed minutes later.

The other piece of information police can’t locate is a white van.

“Which was described as a white van with some rust and a sliding door, so presumably a white minivan,” Sgt. Tim Fitzgerald, Kansas City Police Department Homicide Unit, said.

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Police believe Thomas may have walked over to the van to sell weed to the men inside. Then witnesses told detectives they heard a gunshot and Thomas running for help.

The problem is witnesses describe a white minivan, but no one got a license plate. The area also did not have the type of technology in place that police use now to solve cases like this one.

“Typically, in an investigation nowadays, there are street cameras everywhere. Almost everyone has a Ring Doorbell,” Fitzgerald said.

Key Clues

Instead of relying on countless angles of a homicide scene from home security cameras, detectives used what they did have at the time. They pulled dash camera video from every patrol car that answered the 911 call for help at 71st and Wayne.

They hoped the effort would pay off and show a white van driving away from the area as police responded.

No luck.

So, officers turned to Thomas’ phone records.

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Detectives said they spoke to a number of possible suspects. Every single one of those people denied being in the area of the shooting at the time Thomas died.

“So, when someone denies being there, unless we have somebody that physically saw them there and identified them, then we don’t have a lot of rebuttal to that,” Fitzgerald said.

Key Reward

Now that the case is at a standstill, police have hope money will help someone talk.

There is a reward of up to $27,000 offered in the case. Police are looking for someone the shooter confessed to, a neighbor with more information about the description of the van, someone who is brave enough to come forward and help solve this case.

“We just need that information to come in so that we can get our detectives out there to follow up on that information.”

ALSO READ: 6-year-old girl killed in freak badminton accident while on vacation with family

Following Thompson’s homicide, his mother founded the group “Momma on a Mission” following her son’s murder. The group works to help other families who end up facing the same future.

Every one of them will benefit from witnesses making the decision to pick up a phone, or send an email, to KC Crimestoppers at tips@kc-crime.org or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

There are rewards offered in all unsolved homicides in the Kansas City area.

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Kansas

3 hospitalized in Kansas City after Sunday morning house fire

Published

8 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

3 hospitalized in Kansas City after Sunday morning house fire

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three people were taken to the hospital after a house fire in Kansas City, Missouri on Sunday morning.

The Kansas City Fire Department was called to the 3300 block of Askew around 10:37 a.m., when crews reported smoke on the second floor of a two-story house.

All residents in the house were able to evacuate the home on their own. The fire was quickly brought under control and contained to a single room.

KCFD transported all three residents to the hospital. Their condition is currently unknown.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by KCFD.

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Kansas

Kansas Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 winning numbers for Dec. 20, 2025

Published

20 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

The Kansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 20, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

04-05-28-52-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

Midday: 2-0-6

Evening: 3-9-2

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning 2 By 2 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

Red Balls: 13-26, White Balls: 08-21

Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

08-21-30-41-47, Lucky Ball: 15

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

09-12-34-45-50, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Super Kansas Cash numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

07-08-17-20-32, Cash Ball: 19

Check Super Kansas Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Kansas Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at select Kansas Lottery offices.

By mail, send a winner claim form and your signed lottery ticket to:

Kansas Lottery Headquarters

128 N Kansas Avenue

Topeka, KS 66603-3638

(785) 296-5700

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a claim form, and deliver the form along with your signed lottery ticket to Kansas Lottery headquarters. 128 N Kansas Avenue, Topeka, KS 66603-3638, (785) 296-5700. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Kansas Lottery.

When are the Kansas Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3 Midday/Evening: 1:10 p.m. and 9:10 p.m. CT daily.
2 By 2: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Super Kansas Cash: 9:10 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Kansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Kansas museums see overall boost despite national attendance decline

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Kansas museums see overall boost despite national attendance decline

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Museums across the United States are struggling with declining attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic, but Kansas institutions are bucking the national trend strong visitor numbers.

A recent survey by the American Alliance of Museums asked more than 500 museums nationwide and found traffic remains down since the pandemic began in 2020.

Kansas museum reports record attendance

The Kansas Aviation Museum experienced its highest attendance year ever in 2024, according to Ben Sauceda, president and CEO of the museum.

“2024 was our highest record attendance year ever as a museum, and so we’re seeing a lot of momentum around that,” Sauceda said.

Sauceda credited state programs for boosting museum visits across Kansas.

“Things like the Sunflower Summer Program that Kansas offers. That has been a huge boost to attendance in museums across our state,” he said.

The Gathering Place also reported increased traffic since the pandemic, according to museum officials.

Adam Smith, president and CEO of Exploration Place, said Kansas museums have remained stable.

“I think in general, Kansas is, you know, we’ve seen, we’ve been pretty solid, actually,” Smith said.

Financial challenges persist nationally

The national study shows one-third of museums reported loss of federal grants and contracts impacted them this year.

Museum leaders said institutions must adapt to succeed in the current environment.

“Even as museums, we are still businesses that have to operate in a manner of innovation and creativity. And so again, I think the ones that are finding success right now are the ones that are learning and finding ways to innovate and change and meet the demands of the market where they’re at right now,” Sauceda said.

Smith emphasized the importance of family engagement.

“And so finding ways in which families like to spend time together while creating unique learning or exposure opportunities is how you have to move forward,” he said.

Museums like the Kansas Aviation Museum continue advocating at the state level for renewal of the Sunflower Summer Program for the 2026-2027 season.

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