Missouri 2016 cold case solved — arrest shocks community

Missouri 2016 cold case solved — arrest shocks community

On the night of September 8, 2016, 21-year-old Jessica Runions left a Kansas City party with 27-year-old Kylr Yust—a familiar face to some, a name that carried whispered warnings to others. By morning, Jessica hadn’t come home. Her phone went to voicemail, her bed was untouched, and worry hardened into panic as her parents called friends, work, and finally the police. Within 48 hours, investigators found her Chevrolet Equinox torched and twisted in a rural area outside the city. The fire had incinerated nearly everything, hinting at a deliberate attempt to erase evidence.

Detective Sarah Collins of KCPD quickly zeroed in on Yust. His past was troubling: restraining orders, violent relationships, and a chilling connection to an older disappearance—17-year-old Kara Kopetsky, missing since 2007 after trying to end things with him. As flyers went up and vigils grew, the case labored through false leads, winter snow, and fading headlines. Jessica’s family refused to relent, organizing searches and keeping her story alive.

In March 2017, a volunteer search in rural Cass County finally broke the case open. Searchers uncovered human remains identified as Jessica’s. About fifty yards away lay another set, older and weathered—Kara Kopetsky. Two victims, one field, one common thread. Forensics showed both deaths were violent. The burial site, tied to areas Yust knew, and the burned SUV reinforced a pattern of concealment.

The double discovery transformed a missing-person hunt into a homicide prosecution. Former girlfriends described Yust’s escalating control and rage; witnesses recalled seeing Jessica leave the party with him; digital records buttressed the timeline. In fall 2017, a grand jury indicted Yust on two counts of first-degree murder. The long road to trial—stretched by motions and then the COVID-19 court slowdowns—tested the families’ endurance but sharpened the case.

In April 2021, a packed Jackson County courtroom heard weeks of testimony. Prosecutors presented a decade-long arc of violence, the burned vehicle, the secluded burial ground, and Yust’s behavior after both disappearances. The defense attacked degraded forensics and fading memories, insisting the evidence was circumstantial. After two days of deliberation, the jury returned guilty verdicts for both murders. At sentencing, heart-rending impact statements from both families captured the futures stolen: birthdays, graduations, grandchildren, and music that would never be heard again. The judge imposed life in prison plus fifteen years.

In the aftermath, the families built purpose from loss. Jessica’s parents started a foundation that supports families of the missing, trains investigators in family communication, funds research, and offers scholarships to women pursuing criminal justice and victim advocacy. Kara’s mother—already a seasoned advocate—helped drive legislative improvements and mentored other families navigating the system. Annual memorials, school gardens, and scholarships keep Jessica and Kara’s spirits present, while community programs teach warning signs of coercive control and intimate partner violence.

What began as a vanished daughter became a catalyst for change. Through persistence, community solidarity, and tireless advocacy, a hidden predator was brought to justice—and two young women’s legacies now help others find safety, answers, and hope.

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