In the early weeks of 1980, a grim discovery was made in Kansas City, Missouri, that would eventually be linked to one of the city's most notorious serial investigations. On January 23, the body of an African American teenager named Gwendolyn Kizine was found behind a building on The Paseo, a major thoroughfare in the city. A neighbor on their way to work stumbled upon the scene, finding the 15-year-old female victim fully clothed but missing her shoes.
The brutality of the crime was immediately evident, as wire was found wrapped tightly around her neck and wrists. An autopsy later confirmed that she had died from strangulation.
The investigation into her death initially struggled to find traction, despite her father having reported her missing just a day prior to the discovery. Reports at the time suggested she had been last seen weeks earlier, and for decades, the case remained unsolved. It was not until advancements in DNA technology and a renewed focus on cold cases that authorities were able to connect her murder to a broader pattern of violence targeting women in the area. In 2004, police arrested Lorenzo Gilyard, a local trash company supervisor who became known as the 'Kansas City Strangler.'
Prosecutors charged Gilyard in connection with a string of murders spanning from 1977 to 1993, including the death of Kizine. Authorities noted that the specific details of her case, particularly the method of strangulation and the fact that she was found without shoes, fit the distinct modus operandi of the serial killer. While Gilyard was ultimately convicted of six counts of first-degree murder in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Kizine was among the victims for whom he was charged but not specifically tried, as the multiple life sentences ensured he would never be released. Her death stands as one of the tragic chapters in the long list of crimes attributed to him.
