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.”

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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

Kansas Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 winning numbers for July 10, 2026

Published

14 hours ago

July 11, 2026

Press Room

The Kansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at July 10, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from July 10 drawing

02-39-44-46-56, Mega Ball: 23

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 10 drawing

Midday: 4-0-8

Evening: 0-0-3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning 2 By 2 numbers from July 10 drawing

Red Balls: 01-03, White Balls: 02-08

Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 10 drawing

14-42-46-47-57, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life 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.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

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

Kansas parents charged after child fatally shoots 5-year-old, 8-year-old

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2026

Press Room

Kansas parents charged after child fatally shoots 5-year-old, 8-year-old

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Two Kansas parents were charged Thursday in connection with the shooting deaths of their two children.

The Ellsworth County Attorney’s Office charged Aaron French and Makayla French of Brookville with four counts each of aggravated child endangerment.

On March 28, law enforcement responded to a home near Kansas Highway 141 and Avenue N near Kanopolis Lake.

A 5-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy had been shot, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The 5-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. The 8-year-old was taken to a Wichita hospital, where he died almost a week later.

The KBI said a young child in the home picked up a loaded, unsecured shotgun and shot the siblings.

Aaron French, 37, and Makayla French, 28, have been ordered to appear in court on July 28.

For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here.

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Kansas City to reduce bus transit frequency, extended hours after World Cup matches end

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2026

Press Room

Kansas City to reduce bus transit frequency, extended hours after World Cup matches end

KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.

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Saturday marks the final FIFA World Cup 26 match in Kansas City with Argentina set to meet Switzerland on the pitch at Kansas City Stadium.

Kansas City to reduce bus transit frequency, extended hours after World Cup

Public transportation received a big boost during the World Cup.

Johnson County launched JOCO United, and according to leaders, the airport drop and ride service that was implemented for the tournament will stick around.

“It has been very smooth every time,” Johnson County resident Mariah Wickham said. “I’ve been up and down so many times.”

Kansas City, Missouri, also bumped up its transit options, but not all of the those will be sticking around once the final whistle blows.

Tens of thousands of people have been using the airport link, streetcar and the buses to get around Kansas City. The city poured millions of dollars into building up its public transit infrastructure. The KCATA added more frequency to bus transit lines and the streetcar, pushing more fans to use public transportation during the tournament.

Brian Luton

“With the World Cup here, I was able to exercise using the streetcar more frequently and that was really fun,” Trish Luancing said. “It wold be nice to not have to drive everywhere and not have to worry about parking.”

But thousands have been relying on public transit for years, regardless of what event was in town.

“It’s been busier since the World Cup,” Jeffrice Jackson, a bus rider, said. “It’s been smooth sailing.”

The KCATA added streetcar ‘bus bridge’ links, extended bus service hours and increased frequency on East-West routes to link riders to the streetcar. It’s benefited both travelers and commuters.

“[Service] has been more consistent with the World Cup than it was previously,” Jerry Breault, a rider said. “We were missing buses or routes because there weren’t enough drivers to drive that route.”

But the add-on’s stop on Sunday, July 12. If the transit authority can’t find more money, more than a dozen routes will be cut, potentially impacting more than 8,000 riders.

“It’s a little frustrating,” Breault said. “A lot of us rely on it just to get back and forth to work, to take care of our daily needs. It looks like we may be having to find alternatives and we’re not very happy about that.”

The KCATA will potentially suspend these weekday and weekend routes by September:

Weekday Route Eliminations:

9 – 9th Street, 365 average weekday ridership
21 – Cleveland Antioch, 512 average weekday ridership
23 – 23rd Street, 266 average weekday ridership
25 – Troost Local, 1,460 average weekday ridership
27 – 27th Street, 422 average weekday ridership
57 – Wornall, 411 average weekday ridership
71 – Prospect Local, 464 average weekday ridership

Weekend Route Eliminations:

9 – 9th Street, 349 average weekend ridership
21 – Cleveland Antioch, 312 average weekend ridership
23 – 23rd Street, 312 average weekend ridership
25 – Troost Local, 1,431 average weekend ridership
27 – 27th Street, 455 average weekend ridership
57 – Wornall, 595 average weekend ridership
71 – Prospect Local, 982 average weekend ridership

Bus fares came back earlier this summer to offset some of the operation costs, but many have reported issues with the free fare cards and eligibility.

“There’s always funding challenges with the KCATA,” Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said. “How are the fare re-institutions working right now?”

Mayor Lucas told KSHB 41 News Reporter Isabella Ledonne the transit improvements implemented for the World Cup “should continue,” and there are plans to talk with the KCATA commissioners to “make it work”.

“KCATA cannot just be Kansas City supported alone forever,” Mayor Lucas said. “Our approach and our preference is that the region got to see how much they would like [expanded service] during the World Cup. It was always intentional that if they liked it, maybe they would invest and maybe they would want this thing to go further.”

That’s good news to the thousands of daily riders.