In the summer of 2021, a concerned granddaughter's call to the Kansas City police department unraveled a grim family tragedy. For two days, no one had heard from 63-year-old Shirley Ransom-Muhammad or her two children, Tyla and Jaelin Ransom. On July 15th, officers were dispatched to their home in the 3200 block of Woodland Avenue for a welfare check. Upon arrival, they found the back door ajar. Inside, a disturbing scene awaited them.
They first discovered Jaelin on a stairway landing, and upstairs, they found Shirley and Tyla. The cause of death for all three was determined to be stabbing. A peculiar and unsettling detail at the scene was the presence of a $100 bill placed on each of the victims.
Suspicion quickly fell upon another of Shirley's children, her 38-year-old son, Rahman M. Muhammad. Family members told investigators that Shirley had recently expressed growing concern over Rahman's increasingly aggressive behavior and his mental health, noting he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. She worried he was experiencing psychotic episodes. These concerns had escalated since his release from prison the previous year.
The investigation uncovered evidence allegedly linking Rahman to the scene. A search of the home revealed a bent and broken serrated kitchen knife with what appeared to be blood on it. Investigators also found a pair of bloodied boxer shorts with DNA that was likely a match to Jaelin Ransom and Rahman Muhammad. Further inquiries revealed that Rahman had sought treatment at a local hospital for a wrist injury the night before his family was discovered, claiming he had been 'rough housing' with friends, but he left without being treated.
The day after his mother and siblings were found, Rahman Muhammad approached police officers and asked for a ride to the home on Woodland Avenue, stating he had heard something had happened to his family. He was taken into custody and subsequently charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of armed criminal action.
