Kansas City authorities say they believe the suspected gunman in a deadly string of highway shootings was found Wednesday in the charred basement of a relative’s home — the same property officers had searched days earlier.
Oscar Sanchez-Munoz, 22, had been sought in connection with an alleged June 11 shooting at a vehicle in Wyandotte County, Kansas, according to the FBI. He also had an active warrant there for aggravated assault, with bond set at $100,000.
Investigators also identified him as the leading suspect in five June 16 shootings along Interstate 70 in Kansas City, Missouri, only a few miles from Arrowhead Stadium, where multiple FIFA World Cup matches were taking place.
Police said Sanchez-Munoz’s relatives discovered a body Wednesday in the basement of the home in Independence, Missouri.
The person was dressed in clothing that matched what Sanchez-Munoz had been wearing, Kansas City Police Capt. Jake Becchina said, according to KMBC. Police had previously believed Sanchez-Munoz may have gotten away during a fire that erupted during the June 16 standoff.
Officers had searched the residence as part of the investigation after the standoff, but officials said the basement was extremely difficult to examine because it had flooded from firefighting efforts and was packed with furniture and debris.
“At the end of the fire, there were several feet of water inside the basement, that night and into the next day,” Becchina said, describing it as “one of the most congested basements” he had encountered in his law enforcement career.
“There was enough debris in there that you can not stand up. Piles. It was piles of things.”
He also noted that the stairwell leading into the basement had collapsed in the blaze, and that investigators needed to “jump” down to search.
The family had returned to the home several times since the standoff and fire, and it was while sifting through piles of debris that they noticed the smell of decomposition, leading them to the remains before contacting police, Becchina said.
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He added that the body was out of view, under the clutter and it took a “significant amount” of manpower to clear the debris off the body.
Homicide detectives and the Jackson County Medical Examiner are now conducting a death investigation to confirm it is Sanchez-Munoz’s body and cause of death.
The investigations remain ongoing.
Sanchez-Munoz’s shooting spree left one person dead — Jeremy Keenan, who died after being shot and crashing his car into a pole — and left another with serious injuries, News Nation reported.
Multiple other victims, including an Uber driver shot in the leg while taking fans to the World Cup match between Argentina and Algeria, are expected to recover.
Following the shootings, police reportedly tracked Sanchez-Munoz to his family’s home in Independence, where an hours-long standoff ensued before the house caught fire.
Police initially believed Sanchez-Munoz had escaped during the blaze, sparking a nationwide manhunt led by the FBI’s Kansas City field office, which offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
Sanchez-Munoz’s mother and stepfather told NewsNation that their son had recently exhibited signs of a mental health issue, with his mother saying she believed it might be schizophrenia.
His mother said they attempted to have him admitted to a mental health facility, but he would not voluntarily admit himself.
Keenan’s mother said her son’s death has shattered her, but said she understands his alleged killer was struggling with mental health issues.
“Hopefully it brings a light to mental health,” Debra Keenan told the outlet. “Someone like this isn’t in the right frame of mind. That doesn’t make it right to do what he did, but hopefully they can get help.”
