INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Waiting for an arrest is a difficult thing for the families of murder victims.
Unfortunately, it's a feeling Corey Laykovich's family knows all too well.
It's also why Laykovich's parents founded Corey's Network, which conducts an annual vigil for all families still seeking justice from unsolved homicides.
On July 26, 2013,
Laykovich was walking home from a QuikTrip on July 26, 2013, when he was stabbed to death near the picnic tables at Coventree Apartments in Independence.
He walked home before he died from his wounds.
Laykovich's mother, Michelle Metje, said her son died in her arms the first time, but he would code a total of five times.
Still, his death doesn't mean she's no longer Corey's mom.
"I chose to be his mom the rest of my life," Metje said. "Not the rest of his."
The man arrested for Laykovich's murder, John Seger, will go on trial Aug. 20 for second-degree murder.
It took 3 1/2 years for law enforcement to make an arrest in Laykovich's muder case, but Metje started her own work behind the scenes as the slow wheels of justice turned.
Corey's Network is an advocacy group for murder victims and their families. It's paid for more than 130 funerals and given money to children who have lost a parent.
The organization helps find counselors, works with families through the court process and investigations, and assists those families in finding a way forward.
"Holding someone in the worst moment of their lives and telling them it's going to be okay," is how Metje describes it.
At Sunday's vigil in Independence, a Facebook Live was set up for anyone to say a prayer or talk about their current situation.
Jan Chambers was among those who showed up.
"The first time we met in this parking lot she wanted to hold onto me and not let me go," said Chambers, who received Laykovich's kidney and pancreas.
Chambers had juvenile diabetes since age 11. After her surgery, she was cured of that disease.
"Corey has done more in death than the perpetrator will ever do in life," said Metje, who said her son's organs gave two people sight and helped a total of five people.
Metje will put the footage on a YouTube channel to remind people about unsolved homicides in their community.
If you have information on an unsolved murder in Kansas City, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 816-474-TIPS.
