Kansas City, Mo., homicide numbers down in 2026; families of victims say grief remains

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.

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There have been 102 homicides so far this year in Kansas City, Missouri. At the same time last year, there had been 121 homicide victims in KCMO.

But for the families who have lost loved ones — and for the advocates who support them — the lower numbers don't ease their pain.

"Look, any reduction in violent crime should be praised. It should," John Ham, executive director of Mothers in Charge, said.

But Ham said the progress does not ease what families are carrying.

KSHB 41/Fabian Rosales

"For those 102 families that will have an empty seat at the Thanksgiving Day table, the pain is very real," Ham said. "They still need our support."

Shannon Wasmer lost her son, Keith, in 2018. She said the declining statistics do not reflect what she carries.

"Those 102 people have names and families," Wasmer said. "It's a void, an ache that I can't fill with anything. There's nothing I can fill that hole with."

The loss changed her permanently.

"I wasn't and am not the same person I was," Wasmer said.

KSHB 41/Fabian Rosales

She found some comfort through Mothers in Charge, an organization that supports families affected by violent crime in Kansas City.

"When I got here, I almost could not say my son's name. And now I get to say Keith. Keith, Keith, all the time," Wasmer said. "He took my son's voice. And I get to be his voice now."

KSHB 41/Fabian Rosales

At the heart of Mothers in Charge is founder and program director, Rosilyn Temple. Temple's son was killed in 2011, and she remembers every detail of that day.

"I screamed, lost my breath," Temple said.

She said she felt completely alone.

"I needed someone. It was no one there. I needed a mother to hug me and say, 'I understood your pain. I've been through that."' It wasn't no one there. So that's what I do," Temple said.

Temple pushed back on any celebration of the declining numbers.

"102 is too many," Temple said. "It is a community problem."

KSHB 41/Fabian Rosales

Ham said all crime has a lot of layers to it

"While we should never give up trying to solve those problems, we should accept also that what is left in the wake of violent crime are families whose lives are shattered," Ham said.

For Wasmer, healing is an ongoing process — not a destination.

"It doesn't get better. It gets... I've learned to live through the process of healing," Wasmer said.

KSHB 41/Fabian Rosales

Among the 102 people killed in Kansas City this year was John Heberling's son.

James Heberling was killed on Sept. 16. For his father, he is far more than a number.

"Just everything drops out of you," John said. "When you have a child, you love them more than life."

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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