MO - Kara Kopetsky, 17 - 2007; Jessica Runions, 21 - 2016; found deceased - *ARREST*

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lisette said:
Wonder why it is taking so long to ID the other person (Kara?) when Jessica was ID'd so quickly?
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From what I gather Kara's skull may not be whole, and probably doesn't have any teeth intact to identify through dental records. Jessica disappeared less than a year ago, so her remains would be in much better shape. Kara's been gone for a decade, nature probably took it's toll on her remains. JMO.

Also gathering DNA from a skull without teeth can be difficult, from what I've read. Since there is no marrow in a skull, its much much harder. HTH.
 
msphilosopher said:
Scout87, thank you for this... it is all speculation but these little details do tell us a lot. I was very much puzzled over the motive and now I am not as confused.

I have such a hard time following the details of this case because I just want to cry. It kills me that Kara was victim of this demented soul because she even tried to protect herself against him... you usually don't see that in domestic violence cases with teens. And then it kills me so much that Jessica became a victim because it all could have been prevented... my heartaches for these girls and their families.
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Not a problem. I totally understand. It's been a while since I have been so emotionally invested in a case and this one definitely takes a toll. It's devastating because as you said it was preventable. The girls had so much to give to the world and because of Kylr, it was all taken from them and their families. It is heartbreaking and infuriating all at once. I believe Kara's case was botched and KY was allowed to skate by for so long due to lack of evidence. Even on other charges, he was basically given a slap on the wrist and told to be a good boy. Fat lot of good that did :facepalm:

The details are difficult at times to piece together because as I said before we just don't know a lot about Jessica's relationship with KY and also because the case was sealed very shortly after he was transferred to Jackson County Jail in KCMO. Sometimes speculation is the best we can do. I'm not sure how closely you've followed either of the girls' cases, but I'm including some more links below for you, in case you're interested in reading more...

Kylr Yust - Five Facts: http://heavy.com/news/2016/09/kylr-...ord-facebook-photos-raymore-missouri-charges/

New Details in Timeline of Jessica Runions Disappearance: http://www.kctv5.com/story/33153777/new-details-emerge-on-timeline-of-jessica-runions-disappearance

Kylr Yust Pleads Not Guilty to Burning Car: http://www.kctv5.com/story/33635450/kylr-yust-pleads-not-guilty-to-burning-jessica-runions-car

Kylr Yust Caught Breaks in Years of Encounters with the Law http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article102134552.html

Kara Kopetsky's Family Turns Her Story into Lessons for us All: http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/mary-sanchez/article101474322.html

Kylr Yust Sentenced for Drug Trafficking: http://fox4kc.com/2013/11/22/kylr-y...ra-kopetsky-to-be-sentenced-for-drug-charges/

Kylr Yust Connections to Two Missing Women: http://www.kshb.com/news/local-news...ections-between-kylr-yust-and-2-missing-women

Kylr Yust Animal Abuse:http://www.kshb.com/news/local-news...se-claims-that-kylr-yust-killed-three-kittens

Second Skull Found (Includes image of incident report filed after Kara disappeared, stating that KY was seen on Y Highway the day she was reported missing) http://www.kmbc.com/article/police-call-families-of-2-missing-women-after-second-skull-found/9229881
 
lisette said:
Wonder why it is taking so long to ID the other person (Kara?) when Jessica was ID'd so quickly?
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In this article, Kara's mother states that police explained to her that the skull would need to be tested for mitochondrial DNA. http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article143471034.html

The need to test mtDNA means that the samples were too highly degraded to retrieve a viable nuclear DNA sample for routine testing. The remains are nearly ten years old and due to their location, they have endured the elements including weather fluctuations and animal disturbances. After all of that time, they would very degraded. I believe that Kara was only found because Jessica was with her. If KY had put Jess in another location, it's likely to me that Kara would never have been found.

Info on mtDNA Testing: https://www.nij.gov/topics/forensic...erations/evidence-backlogs/pages/welcome.aspx

This talks about mtDNA testing on hairs, but also discusses how mtDNA can help in cold cases where very little evidence exists or when samples have been environmentally degraded: http://www.forensicmag.com/article/2009/04/mitochondrial-dna-examination-cold-case-crime-scene-hairs

Kara's mother also said that they mentioned lab backlog to her. Here's a link discussing forensic lab backlog: https://nij.gov/topics/forensics/lab-operations/evidence-backlogs/pages/welcome.aspx

And if you're really interested in reading about DNA profiling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_profiling#Mitochondrial_analysis
Forensics, DNA Printing, and CODIS: https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/forensics-dna-fingerprinting-and-codis-736
DNA Analysis: http://aboutforensics.co.uk/dna-analysis/
 
kittymittons said:
Interesting that the article said "now that her remains have been found..." when it hasn't been confirmed yet. I think we all know its her, but still.
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It's now this:
"...but now that her remains may have been found, he says it is time."

I wonder if "may" was added in the update.
 
siriunsun said:
"Insanity" might not even apply in this case, because the defendant apparently knew enough about the unacceptability of his actions to hide and destroy evidence.
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That's what I'm thinking as well. They can order testing through the court to confirm mental illness, and he can boo-hoo to the jury about his poor upbringing, but ultimately his actions after the crime tell the tale. He knew he was doing wrong because he burned the car almost immediately after Jessica was reported missing and got as far away out of town as he could so as to distance himself from the heat of a missing persons investigation. Plus he knew well enough what he was doing to go into the woods to the exact location where he'd placed Kara ten years ago and put Jessica in the same place. He's guilty as sin. But, as I've said here before, it's not the legitimacy of an insanity plea that worries me. It's that the defense only has to appeal to one juror to get a hung jury. I think that t he prosecutor needs to take the charge of knowingly burning Jessica's car to court, get a guilty conviction, and then move on to a murder trial. I believe they will need that conviction to solidify the case as there seems to be a lack of concrete evidence (meaning fingerprints, murder weapon, etc.).

Just including this for reference on Missouri laws on criminal cases involving an insanity or mental illness plea: http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes/stathtml/55200000301.html
 
Vail said:
I thought you guys would find this interesting:

http://globalnews.ca/news/2197074/how-do-police-lay-murder-charges-without-a-body/

(Even though they now have a body, this helps shed some light on other ways they look to build the case)
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Thanks for posting this. Though circumstantial, I think that a lot of the evidence that LE has in Jessica's case will help a lot on the road to getting a conviction. It's not concrete evidence like a bloody handprint or something like that, but the fact that it seems some of the clothing Jessica was last seen in was in KY's home is a red flag, plus all the other items collected at the time the search warrant was executed. I remember watching an interview with Joe Kenda a while back and he said one of the first things that a prosecutor can use to raise a red flag in the mind of jurors is the location of the accused at the time of arrest. Was he in the place he was supposed to be or did he flee the area? He said that alone will raise favor for the prosecution because it looks very suspicious. A conviction on the knowingly burning charges will help tremendously as well because there isn't a good reason he had to burn that vehicle other than to destroy evidence that could potentially pin him for murder.
 
Another body has been found by a mushroom hunter in Cass County, Missouri: http://www.kmbc.com/article/body-found-in-cass-county-field-sheriffs-office-says/9529309

Just for reference, this location (278th St and DD Highway) is abut 20 or so minutes southeast of where the girls remains were found. Authorities say there is no apparent connection to the girls' case. Makes me a little uneasy though with all these bodies being found in this area and nearby.
 
Scout87 said:
Another body has been found by a mushroom hunter in Cass County, Missouri: http://www.kmbc.com/article/body-found-in-cass-county-field-sheriffs-office-says/9529309

Just for reference, this location (278th St and DD Highway) is abut 20 or so minutes southeast of where the girls remains were found. Authorities say there is no apparent connection to the girls' case. Makes me a little uneasy though with all these bodies being found in this area and nearby.
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Wow. Speechless.

Edit: Male body, seems like it's probably unrelated. Still sad.
 
kittymittons said:
Wow. Speechless.

Edit: Male body, seems like it's probably unrelated. Still sad.
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Yes, it's more than likely not related. Just a lot of bodies being found lately by mushroom hunters. And it seems an unprecedented amount of bodies being found in the KC area. But I guess that's to be expected with the rising crime rates in the area.
 
my daughter lives in Harrisonville, it is shocking how many bodies are being found around here.
 
Scout87 said:
Another body has been found by a mushroom hunter in Cass County, Missouri: http://www.kmbc.com/article/body-found-in-cass-county-field-sheriffs-office-says/9529309

Just for reference, this location (278th St and DD Highway) is abut 20 or so minutes southeast of where the girls remains were found. Authorities say there is no apparent connection to the girls' case. Makes me a little uneasy though with all these bodies being found in this area and nearby.
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I read somewhere that the wooded areas left within that county are very limited. If that's correct it would make sense as to why so many are found within the area. JRs search party found 2 in their search area which was crazy to me.
 
Claireishere said:
I read somewhere that the wooded areas left within that county are very limited. If that's correct it would make sense as to why so many are found within the area. JRs search party found 2 in their search area which was crazy to me.
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That's probably true about the wooded areas as the county (to my knowledge) has been growing. Springtime weather also tends to uncover what's been hidden by the winter. Having lived in the KC area my entire life, the surprising thing isn't where these people are being found but the rising crime rate. I can't remember ever hearing so often about violent crime and bodies being found. The last I read, the KC metro area is just about on par with St. Louis and Chicago for being the city with the most homicides in the US.
 
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