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Mother of Jessica Runions sent hundreds of harassing texts to JoCo woman

jamie runions pool photo yust trial day 4
Posted at 12:29 PM, Jul 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-12 13:29:14-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Court documents released Monday detail allegations of harassment made from the mother of Jessica Runions.

Last month, Jessica’s mother, Jamie Runions, was charged in Johnson County, Kansas, with one count of misdemeanor harassment by phone or fax.

The affidavit obtained by 41 Action News and filed by the Olathe Police Department details a slew of text messages sent to the new girlfriend of Jamie's ex-boyfriend.

According to the court document, between March 18, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021, a total of 372 messages were sent from 27 different phone numbers, despite the woman asking the messenger to stop.

The woman's ex-boyfriend said the messages included information that only his ex, Jamie Runions, would know.

Messages included threatening tones, with one reading, "if you f------ mess up my daughters case I will hunt you down."

Olathe officers determined the texts were sent through a texting application and were able to track the IP address sending the messages to Runions' address.

After initially denying sending the messages, Runions eventually admitted doing so to the officers, according to the affidavit.

An arrest warrant was executed for Runions on July 1, 2021. She posted the $2,500 bond in Johnson County and was released the same day.

Runions is scheduled for arraignment on July 29.

Jamie Runions was recently part of a murder trial for Kylr Yust, who was convicted of killing Jamie's daughter, Jessica, as well as convicted in the death of another girl, Kara Kopetsky, in the Belton area.

The harassing message sent mentioning a daughter's court case likely refers to the murder case, which took place over the course of two weeks in May 2021.

Jessica was 21 years-old when she was last seen on Sept. 8, 2016. Her remains were discovered in a wooded area on April 3, 2017.

Yust received a guilty verdict for second-degree murder in her death.

Editor’s Note: 
On Feb. 10, 2022, Runions reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in which she pleaded guilty as charged. Terms of the plea agreement included 12 months probation and not to have contact with the victim of the original telephone harassment, among other items.