Friends of the man found on Trolley Track Trail in Kansas City, Missouri are still puzzled as to why anyone would want to kill the father of four.
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Jimmy Ngo first met Chase Hardin 16 years ago. Their passion for car racing brought them together.
“He had a pure heart and wanted to help that everybody that he could possibly meet or touch,” Ngo said.
But something went wrong a week ago.
“[On] Tuesday he had messaged me from an odd number and I tried to respond and I called back that number and whoever answered they hung up on me,” Ngo said.
Then on Monday morning a man walking his dog discovered Hardin’s body in a wooded area off the Trolley Track Trail near 86th and Woodland in KCMO.
“I'm not sure why he was murdered, but we're not supposed to kill anybody and murder should never be a choice,” Ngo said.
Ngo added his 31-year-old friend leaves behind an extended family including a wife and four children.
Hardin was the grandson of the late Junior Hower, a well-known Kansas City racing figure. Ngo said Hardin looked to him during a race in early April.
“He said that the spirit of his grandpa was with him, they found a brake line leak, he found an oil leak on my car but he fixed that car, went to the race track with me and we went out there and he was so excited that he wanted to share it with the whole world,” Ngo said.
Although Hardin did have some legal troubles, Ngo said the father was working to better life for himself.
“Chase was a real strong man, real charismatic man, he loved the lord but unfortunately he tried to carry all the burdens in his life on his own shoulders,” Ngo said.
Police are still looking for Hardin’s killer. They haven’t released a description of the suspect or suspects in this case.
