MO MO - Brandon Dante Raphelle Ralls, 16, Kansas City, 31 Oct 2001

[TheArtfulDetective]

Brandon Dante Raphelle Ralls


Ralls circa 2001; Age-progression to age 30 (circa 2016)

• Case Classification: Missing/Endangered Runaway
  Missing Since: October 31, 2001
  Location Last Seen: Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri

Description:

• Date of Birth: March 25, 1985
• Age: 16 years old
• Race: Black/African American
• Gender: Male
• Height: 5'-6" (66 inches)
• Weight: 130 lbs
• Hair Color: Brown/Short
• Eye Color: Brown
• Nickname/Alias: "Little B"
• Distinguishing Marks/Features: He was wearing a grill of three gold teeth in the front right side of his upper jaw. Has acne.
• Clothing & Personal Items: Gray cap. A "Fat Albert" short sleeve black T-shirt. Black hooded jacket with stripes. Gray pants. Gray sneakers.
• Identifiers: DNA and fingerprints available.

Circumstances of Disappearance:
Ralls was reported missing from Kansas City, Missouri on October 31, 2001. He has never been heard from again. There was a possible sighting of him walking on Longview Road on November 5, 2001. Authorities believe that Ralls left on his own accord. Few details are available regarding his disappearance and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Investigators:

• Kansas City Police Department: (816) 234-5136; [email protected]
  Reference Case#: 01-111445

• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)
  Reference Case#: 928178

• Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline: (816) 474-TIPS(8477); kccrimestoppers.com

• Missouri State Highway Patrol Missing Persons: (573) 526-6178; Toll free: (800) 877-3452
  Email: [email protected]

NamUs Case Number: MP2329
NCIC Case Number: Not available

Missing Person / NamUs #MP2329
Brandon Dante Raphelle Ralls – The Charley Project
Brandon Ralls
Missouri Missing
5145DMMO - Brandon Dante Raphelle Ralls

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

Websleuths profile: MO - Brandon Dante Raphelle Ralls (16) - Kansas City MO, 2001

 

[Atombudd]

KCPD is still not doing enough to find missing Black loved-ones, families say​

KCUR | By Brandon Azim
Published April 24, 2025 at 4:00 AM CDT

Brandon Azim
/
KCUR 89.3
The Ralls family keeps flyers of Brandon taped to the side of their vehicles keeping the search for him alive.

The Kansas City Police Department created an independent missing persons unit in 2023. Two years later, the department reports progress in its effort to solve missing persons cases. But many in the Black community say the numbers mask impatience and frustration over a lack of attention to cases that drag on for decades.​

Willard Ralls Jr., 66, and his kids are sitting around their dining room table in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, enjoying a beer and a cigarette, telling stories about their son and brother, Brandon.

There is an unsettling silence as the family opens up about Brandon, who was 16 at the time he disappeared on November 5, 2001. According to Kansas City Police Department records, he was last seen along Longview Road in south Kansas City.

Willard Ralls Jr. remembers his last conversation with his son.

"It seemed like something was troubling him. I kept asking him 'what's wrong?'” Ralls said. “He would not tell me, but he kept looking at his pager like he needed to be somewhere.”

Whenever the father asked a question, Brandon would just shrug in response. He didn’t want his son to feel he was being held hostage.

“I wasn't upset. I was disappointed that he would not open up to me,” said Ralls.

Little did Ralls know that would be the last conversation they would have for more than two decades.

National Center Of Missing And Exploited Children
/
National Center Of Missing And Exploited Children
An age-progressed photo posted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of what Brandon Ralls might look like today.
Two years ago, the KCPD reinstated its missing persons unit. In the past, these cases were handled by the KCPD's homicide and cold case detectives. Detectives were spread thin, juggling investigations into missing persons, daily murders and other cold cases.

In April 2023, the department formed an independent unit, with seven detectives who focus solely on missing persons. KCPD’s numbers indicate the department has had increased success solving these cases, but some in the Black community feel the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Ralls said a detective was working closely with the family around the time of Brandon’s disappearance. She’s since retired, but Ralls said their last conversation was frustrating. Insensitive and blunt.

“We won’t know anything until we find bones,” Ralls said he was told by the detective.

Since that call, Ralls said he’s had an uneasy relationship with KCPD.

“I’m going to keep pressing you, KCPD, to help me find out what happened and give me closure of my missing son," he said.

KCPD is still not doing enough to find missing Black loved-ones, families say

The Kansas City Police Department created an independent missing persons unit in 2023. Two years later, the department reports progress in its effort to solve missing persons cases. But many in the Black community say the numbers mask impatience and frustration over a lack of attention to cases...

www.kcur.org

 

[HopeRains]

Article clipped from The Kansas City Star

Clipping found in The Kansas City Star published in Kansas City, Missouri on 10/13/2007.

www.newspapers.com

Article clipped from The Kansas City Star

Clipping found in The Kansas City Star published in Kansas City, Missouri on 10/13/2007.

www.newspapers.com