Police say young boy found dead in downtown Kansas City fell from apartment building

By Web Staff

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    KANSAS CITY (KMBC) — Police have revealed the cause of death for a child whose body was found in an alley mid-day Monday in downtown Kansas City.

On Tuesday, the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department confirmed that a “young male under 12 years old” is believed to have fallen to his death at an apartment building near 10th Street and Grand Boulevard.

Authorities told KMBC 9 that surveillance footage from the Grand Boulevard Lofts confirmed that the child fell from the building.

After initially reporting the death as a homicide, police have since labeled the case as a suspicious death investigation. The department reaffirmed that classification after revealing the cause of death.

Police were called to the apartment building just after noon on Monday. Responding officers were directed to the child who had been discovered a short time earlier in a nearby alleyway.

A public information officer with KCPD provided a few limited details regarding the incident on Monday.

“There’s definitely bodily trauma that can be contributing factors to the death,” KCPD Captain Corey Carlisle told KMBC 9. “We will rely on the expertise of the medical examiner to determine exactly what that trauma can consist of, whether it was used with a blunt instrument or weapon or whether it was caused by other means.”

It may take several weeks for investigators to get an official report from the medical examiner’s office and for detectives to follow up on other leads in the case.

A second person was transported from the scene by EMS. Their identity and current condition are currently unknown, and any potential connection to the child’s death investigation remains unconfirmed.

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No further information about the child will be released until an identity has been fully confirmed and family members have been notified.

Details regarding the circumstances that led up to the child falling from the building have yet to be released by law enforcement.

The horrific incident has been understandably difficult for residents of the building to grapple with.

A small memorial appeared overnight in the alleyway. While detectives have yet to specify the boy’s age, neighbors estimate he was between five or six years old, and a stuffed animal, toy dinosaur, flowers and candle left by mourners at the scene suggest he was very young.

One resident, who gave the name Bradley, said he lives on the 14th floor of the 17-floor building. He noted how difficult it is to open the windows in his own apartment.

“They’re really hard to open in, at least in my unit,” Bradley said. “The window only opens about this much (less than a foot). So how the kid fell through that window is kind of mind-boggling.”

Another resident, who gave the name John, shared a similar sentiment about the building’s windows.

“They’re very hard to open,” John said. “Very hard. Something had to happen there.”

Tony Dewberry has lived in the building for eight years. On Saturday, his son Theus was murdered while celebrating his birthday. Two days later, police found the young boy behind his apartment building.

The mourning resident said the incident brought back everything he was already struggling to work through.

Dewberry also corroborated his neighbors’ comments regarding the windows.

“They only come up maybe six, maybe eight inches,” Dewberry said. “You can barely stick your arm out. I had some plants, and I used to turn them to the side so I could put them on the ledge out there. But I don’t see how the baby could raise the windows to raise it up.”

KCPD said there is no one in custody at this time and that there is no reason to believe there is an immediate risk to the public.

The case remains ongoing at this time. Any potential criminal charges will be referred to the Jackson County Prosecutors Office at the conclusion of the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at 816-234-5043. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can do so by contacting the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

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