KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Five people who are wanted in several jurisdictions were taken into custody earlier this week in connection to the death of a man at a Kansas City, Kansas, park.
Wyandotte County Sheriff Donald Ash said during a news conference on Thursday that three men and two women were arrested on Tuesday – and three have been released – as part of the investigation into Skylar Needham’s death.
“I want to assure the family members, I want to assure the community members that we’ve taken this investigation seriously,” Ash said. “We’re diligently pursuing it, and we believe that we have the people, ultimately, that were responsible for this act.”
Needham was found shot to death Aug. 15 in a car at Matney Park.
All five, who range in age from 19 to 22, were taken into custody following the execution of a search warrant in the area of 1100 County Line Road.
“We fully expect there will be additional charges filed,” Ash said.
A 22-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, man had a warrant out of Osage County for aggravated failure to register and will face those charges in Osage County.
A second person of interest had a parole violation warrant out of Lebeck County and still is being held in Wyandotte County, “pending follow up” on the warrant and other investigations, Ash said.
“They appear just to be a loose to maybe a more tightly connected group of just individuals,” Ash said. “None of them are related to one another. We’re not sure exactly how they come together, or around what. That’s certainly part of the ongoing investigation.”
Officers still are working to determine a motive for the killing, according to Ash, and are not yet releasing the names of those taken into custody.
Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.
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For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
