Kansas True Crime

06/03/2026

Kansas City police are searching for 65-year-old Brian Doyle, who was last seen Tuesday morning in south Kansas City. FULL STORY⬇️

06/03/2026

The Disappearance of Jennifer Lancaster, Sidney Smith & Monique Smith
📍Topeka, Kansas • May 2000

On the night of May 12, 2000, 20-year-old Jennifer Lancaster vanished from Topeka, Kansas along with her two young daughters, 1-year-old Sidney Smith and just 5-week-old Monique Smith. More than two decades later, nobody knows what happened to them.

Jennifer had grown up in southeast Topeka and graduated from Topeka West High School in 1998. Friends and family said she had struggled after falling in with the wrong crowd as a teenager, but those closest to her insisted she was a loving mother who cared deeply for her daughters. At the time of her disappearance, Jennifer was working at Remington’s bar along the Wanamaker corridor and occasionally at Baby Doll’s adult club while living with her mother Vicki and younger sister at the Misty Glen Apartments on SW Randolph Avenue.

The evening Jennifer disappeared had seemed normal. Earlier that night, the family gathered for dinner at her grandparents’ home. According to her mother, Jennifer appeared happy and acted completely normal. Around 8 p.m., Vicki watched Jennifer leave the apartment carrying a clear trash bag filled with quilts and baby clothes. Jennifer reportedly said she was going to wash them at a male acquaintance’s house, something Vicki found strange because they already had a washer and dryer at home. That was the last confirmed sighting of Jennifer or the children.

When Jennifer didn’t return, her family initially believed she may have stayed with her boyfriend, who was reportedly the father of at least one of the girls. But concern quickly turned into panic when nobody heard from her the next day. Jennifer and the children were reported missing, and on May 14, her 1994 Jeep Cherokee was discovered abandoned at an apartment complex on SE Swygart in Topeka. Investigators found that all of Jennifer’s personal belongings had been removed from the vehicle including both infant car seats.

As investigators looked deeper, more unsettling details emerged. Jennifer had apparently been quietly removing belongings from the family apartment for days before disappearing. She left behind her cellphone, which had reportedly not been used during the week leading up to the disappearance. Money also remained untouched in her bank account, and she never picked up her final paycheck from Remington’s. Her mother still keeps that paycheck today.

Then came one of the strangest twists in the case.

A few weeks after Jennifer vanished, her mother received a letter from a Steak ‘n Shake restaurant in St. Louis, Missouri thanking Jennifer for filling out a customer comment card. The envelope included coupons and listed Jennifer’s name and home address. Vicki immediately contacted the restaurant hoping to compare handwriting on the card, but employees told her the original comment card had already been destroyed. To this day, investigators do not know whether Jennifer actually visited the restaurant or whether someone else submitted the card using her information.

Over the years, investigators pursued multiple theories. Some believed Jennifer intentionally disappeared to start a new life. Others feared she and the girls may have encountered foul play shortly after leaving home. Internet sleuths and some investigators have also speculated about possible links to convicted Kansas serial killer John Edward Robinson, who targeted vulnerable young women around the same time period, though no evidence has ever officially connected him to Jennifer’s disappearance.

Topeka Police have stated there has never been solid evidence proving Jennifer harmed her children or that the family met with foul play, but there have also never been any confirmed sightings of Jennifer, Sidney, or Monique since that night in 2000. No activity has ever surfaced on the girls’ Social Security numbers, school records, or adult identities.

If alive today, Jennifer would be 46 years old. Sidney would be 27, and Monique would be 26.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Topeka Police Department at 785-368-9551 or the Kansas Bureau of Investigation tip line.

06/03/2026

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF DETRECK FOSTER
📍 Independence, Kansas

In the spring of 2020, as the world slowed to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, 37-year-old Detreck Foster vanished without a trace from Independence, Kansas. At the time, Detreck was a father of two daughters, just 12 and 4 years old and despite being separated from their mother, he remained actively involved in their lives. Those closest to him say he would never walk away from his children. Just before his disappearance, Detreck had recently secured a new job with FedEx. Life appeared to be stabilizing. Then, suddenly… he was gone.
📆 April 12, 2020 This is the last confirmed day anyone saw or spoke with Detreck Foster. Days passed with no contact. Then weeks. His family quickly realized something was very wrong.
📆 May 10, 2020 • Mother’s Day Detreck didn’t call his mother. According to his loved ones, this was completely out of character. He always called. That’s when fear turned into certainty that something had happened.
📆 May 12, 2020 Detreck was officially reported missing. As the investigation unfolded, both the Independence Police Department and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) began working the case. Over time, investigators made a chilling determination: 👉 Detreck Foster’s disappearance is now being investigated as a suspected homicide. However, authorities have never publicly disclosed what specific evidence led them to that conclusion.

Years have now passed with little movement. His case has grown quiet. But his family hasn’t stopped fighting. Detreck’s former partner, the mother of his children, has continued to push for answers, keeping his name alive even as the case faded from headlines. She has spoken openly about the lack of attention and the silence surrounding his disappearance: “Nobody cares about another missing Black man… but I do. His daughters do.” Today, those daughters are growing up without their father. He has missed birthdays, holidays, milestones.. moments he never would have chosen to miss. Investigators believe someone knows what happened. And in a small community like Independence… that silence is telling. “I believe someone knows something, but no one is speaking up… We need someone to come forward.”

🔎 Despite extensive searches and interviews, Detreck Foster has never been found.

🚨 REWARD OFFERED There is a $5,000 reward for information leading to answers in this case.

📞 If you have ANY information: Independence Police Department: (620) 332-1700 KBI: 1-800-KS-CRIME This case is still open. This family is still waiting. And somewhere… someone knows the truth. If you’re in Kansas, especially the Independence area, share this. Let’s get his name back out there.

06/02/2026

🚨BOLO 🚨

Alert: “Kansas Highway Patrol along with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and the Coffeyville Police Department are in the area of US-169 and County Road 3000 north of the Coffeyville industrial Park. Looking for a subject that fled from KHP on a traffic stop.”

SEEKING:
-black female
-5’6”
-130 #
-wearing a tie-dye shirt and green shorts

“If you see her do not approach. There is information that she could be armed with a knife. If you see her please call 911.” — MCKSO

05/30/2026

🚨MISSING PERSON🚨
From Wichita Police Department:

Wichita,

We need your help locating 16-year-old Keyshia Farmer, who has been reported as a runaway.

Keyshia was last seen on May 22 in the 1100 block of S. Governour Rd. She is approximately 5'2" tall, weighs around 140 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and shorts.

If you see Keyshia or know of her whereabouts, please call 911 immediately so officers can check on her welfare.

Thank you for helping by sharing this post.

05/30/2026

MOMMY'S LITTLE ANGELS
THE GARDEN CITY CASE THAT EXPOSED SEVEN CHILD DEATHS

For years, Diana Lumbrera was viewed as a grieving mother who had suffered an unimaginable string of tragedies.

Between 1976 and 1990, seven young children connected to Lumbrera died while in her care. Most were her own children. Doctors initially attributed the deaths to a variety of medical conditions including convulsive disorders, aspiration, heart problems, infection, and unexplained infant deaths. No one recognized a pattern.

The first death occurred in November 1976 when 3-month-old Joanna Garza died in Texas. Less than two years later, infant Jose Lionel Garza died. Later that same year, 3-year-old Melissa Garza also died.

Authorities accepted the medical explanations provided at the time and no criminal charges were filed.

After divorcing her husband, Lumbrera continued having children. Tragedy followed her wherever she went.

In 1980, six-week-old Ericka Aleman, a relative placed in Lumbrera's care, died unexpectedly. In 1982, her daughter Melinda died. In 1984, infant Christopher Daniel Lumbrera died. Each death was treated as a separate event and each received a different medical explanation.

For more than a decade, no one connected the cases.

That changed after Lumbrera moved to Garden City, Kansas.

On April 30, 1990, 4-year-old Jose Antonio Lumbrera became ill and was taken to a hospital. He was diagnosed with what doctors believed was a non-life-threatening infection and was sent home. The following evening, Lumbrera returned carrying Jose's lifeless body into the emergency room. Doctors immediately noticed physical findings that raised suspicion. Petechiae, tiny hemorrhages associated with asphyxiation, were present around his eyes and face. His airway was clear and doctors could find no natural explanation for his sudden death.

An autopsy concluded Jose Antonio had died from smothering.

Garden City investigators began looking beyond Jose's death and uncovered a startling history of child deaths surrounding Lumbrera. Detectives traveled across Texas gathering medical records, death certificates, insurance documents, and witness statements. What initially appeared to be isolated tragedies suddenly looked very different.

Investigators discovered that many of the children had life insurance policies. Evidence presented in court showed Lumbrera received financial benefits after several of the deaths. Prosecutors argued she had developed a pattern: seek medical treatment shortly before a child's death, establish a medical history, and then later claim the child died unexpectedly from illness.

In October 1990, a Finney County jury convicted Diana Lumbrera of first-degree murder for the death of Jose Antonio. She received a life sentence.

The Kansas conviction triggered renewed investigations throughout Texas. Prosecutors reexamined the deaths of the other children and eventually secured additional murder convictions involving two of the Texas child deaths. Evidence from those cases was later discussed in Kansas court proceedings because of the striking similarities between the deaths.

According to court records, prosecutors highlighted several common factors:
• The victims were young children.
• Lumbrera was present when the deaths occurred.
• Medical attention was often sought shortly before the deaths.
• Life insurance policies existed on several children.
• Lumbrera benefited financially after some of the deaths.
• The children died under circumstances investigators ultimately determined were not natural.

The case became nationally known because authorities believed the deaths spanned nearly 14 years before investigators finally recognized the pattern. What began as the death of one little boy in Garden City ultimately unraveled one of the most disturbing serial child murder investigations in American history.

🕊️❤️‍🩹

05/27/2026

🚨 PITTSBURG MAN CONVICTED IN CHILD S*X CRIME CASE 🚨

A Pittsburg, Kansas man has been convicted in a juvenile sexual assault case that investigators say occurred at a local motel last summer.

According to the Crawford County Attorney’s Office, 50-year-old Damien Yarbrough entered a plea agreement Tuesday after being charged in connection with an assault reported at the Best Value Inn in Pittsburg on August 23, 2025.

Court records state Pittsburg Police were called to the motel after reports of a sexual assault involving a juvenile victim. Investigators alleged Yarbrough forced the victim into a motel room before sexually assaulting her.

As part of the plea agreement, Yarbrough was convicted of r**e and aggravated criminal so**my. An aggravated kidnapping charge was dismissed as part of the deal.

Yarbrough is currently being held without bond in the Crawford County Jail. Sentencing is scheduled for July 20, 2026. Prosecutors are reportedly recommending a sentence of just over 17 years in prison.

05/27/2026

LINN COUNTY MAN PLEADED GUILTY IN CONNECTION WITH THE DEATH OF 13 YEAR OLD

A Linn County man has pleaded guilty in connection with the death of 13-year-old Airen Andula, the Kansas boy whose body was discovered across the state line in Missouri after he was reported missing in December 2025.

According to court records, Damon Leonard pleaded guilty on May 22 to abandonment of a co**se. Airen had been reported missing on December 21, 2025, after leaving his home on his bicycle in the Holiday Lakes neighborhood near Pleasanton, Kansas.

Investigators say Leonard later told law enforcement he knew where Airen’s body was located and led deputies to a remote ravine in Bates County, Missouri, where the teen was found.

An autopsy conducted by the Wyandotte County Coroner’s Office determined Airen died from multiple dog bite injuries. Authorities also confirmed that several dogs were seized from Leonard’s property as part of the investigation after the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department was asked to take over the case.

Court documents state Leonard admitted to transporting Airen’s body from Linn County, Kansas, into Bates County, Missouri, where he left him in a creek bed at the bottom of a ravine before returning home.

Leonard is scheduled to be sentenced Friday, May 29, at 3 p.m. in Bates County District Court.

Airen was only 13 years old.
😔❤️‍🩹🕊️

05/27/2026

😔

A Wichita man has pleaded guilty in connection with the shooting death of his 1-year-old daughter last year.

05/27/2026

💔 REMEMBERING LUCAS HERNANDEZ 8 YEARS LATER 💔

It has been eight years since 5-year-old Lucas Hernandez was found deceased beneath a bridge in Harvey County, Kansas after months of desperate searching that captured national attention.

Lucas was reported missing from his southeast Wichita home in February 2018 by his father’s live-in girlfriend, Emily Glass, who told investigators she had fallen asleep while watching him and woke up to find him gone.

As the search for Lucas intensified, volunteers, search organizations, and community members from across Kansas and beyond came together hoping to bring him home safely. But behind the scenes, concerns had already been raised long before his disappearance. Family members and neighbors reportedly voiced concerns about possible abuse, and multiple calls had been made to DCF regarding Lucas’ wellbeing.

On May 24, 2018, Emily Glass led a private investigator to a severely decomposed body in Harvey County that was later identified as Lucas. She was arrested for interference with law enforcement, but investigators were never able to directly tie her to Lucas’ death.

Lucas’ autopsy was ruled inconclusive, leaving many questions unanswered that still haunt this case today. Emily Glass was later found dead from an apparent su***de.

Eight years later, many still remember the little boy whose story touched people across the country and sparked conversations about child protection, abuse reporting, and failures within the system.

Lucas should have had the chance to grow up.

Instead, he became another child Kansas will never forget. 🕯️