In the summer of 2014, 23-year-old Ezekiel Willie vanished from Kansas City, Missouri, leaving his family and community with unanswered questions. He was last seen on August 1, 2014, in the vicinity of 27th Street and Brooklyn Avenue. For nearly two years, his whereabouts remained a mystery until a grim discovery was made during a city cleanup project. On April 6, 2016, workers discovered human bones at a dump site in the 2800 block of Highland Avenue. The Jackson County Medical Examiner's Office subsequently identified these remains as belonging to Ezekiel Willie, and police classified the case as a homicide.
Nearly a decade later, the investigation saw a new development when additional partial skeletal remains were located in April 2025 near 28th and Vine, an area recognized by law enforcement as the location where the earlier remains had been recovered. Uncertain if these new remains belonged to the same victim or another individual, the Jackson County Medical Examiner's Office partnered with Othram, a forensic genetic genealogy company, to perform advanced DNA testing.
In September 2025, scientists successfully built a comprehensive DNA profile from the newly found evidence. A comparison with a reference sample confirmed that these remains were also those of Ezekiel Willie. Despite the passage of time and the recovery of further remains, public records do not indicate that any suspects have been charged or arrested in connection with his death, and investigators have previously urged anyone with information to contact the local tips hotline.
