Adrianna Kiri Taylor, a 23-year-old Black woman from Cleveland, Ohio, was reported missing on November 13, 2022, after her family said they had not heard from her since around October 8. At the time, she had been living with her boyfriend, Anthony M. Kennedy, in the 3200 block of West 98th Street in Cleveland. What began as a missing-person case soon stretched across state lines, from Ohio to the Pittsburgh area, as investigators learned that Taylor’s vehicle had been seen in Pennsylvania before her body was found.
On Thanksgiving night, November 24, 2022, Taylor was discovered in the backyard of a home on Hill Avenue in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. Authorities said she had been shot in the head, and her death was ruled a homicide. Reports described her body as having been buried behind the home; later coverage said she was found inside a tote bag placed inside a larger construction bag. Police said the property had a connection to Kennedy’s family, and investigators also reported that Kennedy had previously lived in Pennsylvania and had relatives in the state.
The case moved quickly after Taylor was identified. Cleveland police issued an arrest warrant for Anthony M. Kennedy, who was 43 at the time, charging him with aggravated murder. Authorities said Kennedy was Taylor’s live-in boyfriend and accused him of killing her, then burying her body in Wilkinsburg. Reports also noted that a neighbor’s Ring doorbell camera captured suspicious activity near the home, which helped draw attention to the backyard where Taylor was later found.
Kennedy was initially sought by police and the FBI, but the search ended on November 30, 2022, when he turned himself in at Allegheny County Police headquarters in Pennsylvania. He arrived with his attorney, Blaine Jones, and did not answer reporters’ questions as he walked into custody. He was held by U.S. Marshals while awaiting return to Ohio. At that early stage, officials said no Pennsylvania charges had been filed, while the Cleveland case moved forward on the aggravated murder warrant.
Court proceedings later brought a conviction. In June 2023, Kennedy pleaded guilty in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas to aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, tampering with evidence, and offenses against a human corpse in Taylor’s death. Prosecutors said Kennedy killed Taylor after suspecting she was involved with another man, though they said there was no evidence that she was in a relationship with anyone other than Kennedy. A judge sentenced him to life in prison.
