Inset: Kelisha Reeves (Clay County Prosecutor’s Office). Background: The area near where Reeves allegedly killed a 93-year-old woman in Kansas City, Mo. (Google Maps).
A Missouri woman has been jailed after authorities say a 93-year-old woman was found dead inside a shower at a Kansas City home.
Kelisha Reeves, 27, is charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of Diana Barco, according to a press release from the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutors allege the fatal incident unfolded sometime between June 8 and June 9 at a residence on Briarcliff Road in Kansas City.
Police were called to the home on June 9 after a body was reported at the property.
When Kansas City Police Department officers arrived, they found Barco with what was initially described in a police report as “bodily trauma,” according to Kansas City-based Fox affiliate WDAF.
Reeves was arrested soon after Barco’s death, though few details were immediately released. More information became public once prosecutors filed formal charges.
According to a probable cause statement obtained by local CBS affiliate KCTV, a care worker first noticed something was wrong after spotting Barco’s walker outside near the front door. The worker entered the home to look for her and found the 93-year-old lying face down in the shower, the charging document states.
Around 11:30 a.m. on the day in question, authorities arrived at the scene and found the victim without a shirt or bra on, but still wearing her pants and socks, according to law enforcement.
A handheld showerhead attached to a hose had been pulled out of the wall and wrapped around Barco’s upper body, police said.
Detectives also noted the presence of what looked like blood in the doorway leading into the bathroom and clothing covered in blood on the bathroom floor, according to the charging document.
The victim was found to have suffered multiple apparent stab wounds to the back of her head and neck, law enforcement said, citing the medical examiner. She also appeared to have been strangled.
During the ensuing investigation, detectives learned about other reported crimes in the vicinity of the woman’s death — and those crimes offered what appeared to be telltale clues.
As it turned out, a domestic violence case involving property damage as well as an arson was reported in the immediate area on June 8. In both of those cases, Reeves was listed as the suspect, police said.
The arson particularly stood out, police said.
The victim in that case said Reeves was among a group of three people seen walking away from the fire — one of whom allegedly said: “If I can’t have a place to live, neither can you.”
When Barco’s family was given access to the residence, they noticed a credit card was missing, according to law enforcement. That same credit card was allegedly found with Reeves when she was eventually arrested in Jasper County — some 150 miles due south of Kansas City — on June 13, in relation to the property damage case.
The credit card had the victim’s name scratched out, police said. Additionally, police found other items that appeared to have been taken from Barco’s residence, according to the charging document.
Reeves, for her part, told detectives she was across the street from the victim’s house when Barco saw her crying and told her to come over for safety, according to the probable cause statement.
Then, the defendant allegedly told detectives, she slept on a bench in front of Barco’s house until the elderly woman gave her the credit card so she could find safety and shelter, and even added her as an authorized user.
Reeves is being detained in the Clay County Jail on $1 million bond. She is next slated to appear in court on June 30.
