Police search Northland home for evidence in prostitute murders

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Investigators spent more than four hours inside a Northland home on Tuesday, searching for clues in the case against 27-year-old Derek Richardson of Kansas City.

Richardson confessed Saturday to the murders of two women he picked up as prostitutes, according to the Kansas City Police Department. The victims are 40-year-old Tamara Sparks, whose body was discovered in rural Clay County in October 2011, and 23-year-old Nicoleone Reed, whose remains were found outside Kearney in August 2012. Police said bleach was poured on both bodies.

Tuesday morning, investigators loaded at least a dozen bags of evidence into a van at the home of Richardson's in-laws at the corner of Skiles and Sycamore. A man living a few doors down told 41 Action News his neighbors are good people.

"Shocked is the only word that comes to mind right now," he said.

The neighbor said he saw Richardson at the home occasionally with his wife and son and that Richardson "didn't go out of his way to talk to people very much."

Investigators left the home at 2 p.m. without commenting about their search.

By 3 p.m., investigators moved their search to the Good Times tow lot in Claycomo. Investigators inspected the red Oldsmobile Alero that Richardson was driving when he was picked up by police Saturday night. Police documents state Richardson confessed to stuffing Sparks' body in the back of the car when he dumped her body.

When Richardson's arrest was announced Saturday, officers said this will be a large investigation. Sgt. Doug Neimeier said investigators plan to look into similar crimes in places Richardson has traveled.

Richardson appeared in Clay County court Tuesday afternoon. A judge entered a "not guilty" plea. Richardson remains in the Clay County Jail on $2 million bond. He is charged with two counts each of first-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse.