Photo: Kelisha Reeves (Image courtesy of Clay County Prosecutor’s Office). Background: Vicinity of the alleged crime scene in Kansas City, Mo. (Source: Google Maps).
A woman from Missouri has been arrested after authorities claim she killed a 93-year-old woman, who was found deceased in her own shower.
Authorities have charged 27-year-old Kelisha Reeves with first-degree murder for the alleged killing of Diana Barco, aged 93, as confirmed by the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office in a recent press release.
This tragic incident purportedly took place between the dates of June 8 and June 9 at a property located on Briarcliff Road in Kansas City.
Law enforcement officials received a call on June 9 regarding the discovery of a deceased person at the address.
Inside, the Kansas City Police Department found Barco with what officers initially described as “bodily trauma,” according to a police report obtained by Kansas City-based Fox affiliate WDAF.
While Reeves was quickly arrested for the older woman’s death, details were initially scarce. Then prosecutors filed the charges.
The first sign of something amiss came when a care worker found Barco’s walker outside near the front door, according to a probable cause statement obtained by local CBS affiliate KCTV. The worker then went in the house to look for the victim and found her lying face down in the shower, according to the charging document.
Around 11:30 a.m. on the day in question, authorities arrived at the scene and found the victim without a shirt or bra on, but still wearing her pants and socks, according to law enforcement.
A handheld showerhead attached to a hose had been pulled out of the wall and wrapped around Barco’s upper body, police said.
Detectives also noted the presence of what looked like blood in the doorway leading into the bathroom and clothing covered in blood on the bathroom floor, according to the charging document.
The victim was found to have suffered multiple apparent stab wounds to the back of her head and neck, law enforcement said, citing the medical examiner. She also appeared to have been strangled.
During the ensuing investigation, detectives learned about other reported crimes in the vicinity of the woman’s death — and those crimes offered what appeared to be telltale clues.
As it turned out, a domestic violence case involving property damage as well as an arson was reported in the immediate area on June 8. In both of those cases, Reeves was listed as the suspect, police said.
The arson particularly stood out, police said.
The victim in that case said Reeves was among a group of three people seen walking away from the fire — one of whom allegedly said: “If I can’t have a place to live, neither can you.”
When Barco’s family was given access to the residence, they noticed a credit card was missing, according to law enforcement. That same credit card was allegedly found with Reeves when she was eventually arrested in Jasper County — some 150 miles due south of Kansas City — on June 13, in relation to the property damage case.
The credit card had the victim’s name scratched out, police said. Additionally, police found other items that appeared to have been taken from Barco’s residence, according to the charging document.
Reeves, for her part, told detectives she was across the street from the victim’s house when Barco saw her crying and told her to come over for safety, according to the probable cause statement.
Then, the defendant allegedly told detectives, she slept on a bench in front of Barco’s house until the elderly woman gave her the credit card so she could find safety and shelter, and even added her as an authorized user.
Reeves is being detained in the Clay County Jail on $1 million bond. She is next slated to appear in court on June 30.