Fredrick Demond Scott

Serial Killer

Fredrick Demond Scott and the Indian Creek Trail Killings

Overview

Fredrick Demond Scott is an accused American serial killer charged with murdering six people in and around Kansas City, Missouri, between August 2016 and August 2017. Five of the killings occurred on or near walking trails in southern Kansas City, including sections of the Indian Creek Trail. The apparently unprovoked shootings created widespread fear among residents who had previously regarded the trails, parks and nearby residential areas as safe places to walk, exercise and take their dogs outdoors. Scott was born on November 18, 1994, and lived in southern Kansas City. He was only 21 when the first victim was killed. Prosecutors allege that he selected people who were alone or vulnerable, approached them in public or semi-secluded locations and shot them without an obvious personal dispute. Five of the six victims were older men, while the sixth was a woman living in a campsite in neighboring Grandview. Although Scott is frequently described as the suspected "Indian Creek Trail Killer," he has not been convicted of the six murders. He faces six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of armed criminal action. His criminal case has been repeatedly delayed by questions concerning his mental competency, changes in his legal representation and the need for psychiatric evaluations and treatment.

Victims and Verified Dates

• John W. Palmer, 55 August 19, 2016 Indian Creek Trail near Bannister Road and Lydia Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri: Palmer was found fatally shot beside the trail. Investigators said his body had been pulled or dragged away from the main path. According to charging documents, Scott later admitted shooting Palmer and moving his body. The killing became the first in a sequence of attacks that investigators eventually believed shared important similarities.
• David Lenox, 66 February 27, 2017 Willow Creek Apartments near 99th Street and Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri: Lenox was shot while walking his dogs near the apartment complex and the Indian Creek Trail. His death intensified concern that someone might be deliberately targeting solitary pedestrians. Police found no apparent robbery motive or personal connection between Lenox and his killer.
• Timothy S. Rice, 57 April 4, 2017 Minor Park near 1601 East Red Bridge Road, Kansas City, Missouri: Rice was discovered inside or near a park shelter along the trail system. He had been shot. His body was reportedly located on April 3, while official case summaries and the later indictment placed the charged killing on or about April 4. The location, the use of a firearm and the lack of an obvious personal motive strengthened suspicions that the trail-area homicides were connected.
• Michael "Mike" Darby, 61 May 18, 2017 Indian Creek Trail near 373 West 101st Street Terrace, Kansas City, Missouri: Darby was shot while walking his dogs near the trail. He was a local businessman and co-owner of Coach's Bar and Grill. When he failed to return home, relatives began searching for him. His body was found near the trail, and his death deeply affected both his family and the surrounding community.
• Karen Louise Harmeyer, 64 July 18, 2017 wooded area near the 12000 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard, Grandview, Missouri: Harmeyer lived in a tent in a wooded campsite behind a church. She was found shot to death inside or near her tent. Unlike most of the other victims, she was not an older man walking on a Kansas City trail, but prosecutors alleged that evidence connected Scott to her killing. Her body remained unclaimed for months before members of the Grandview community arranged a funeral and burial for her.
• Steven Gibbons, 57 August 13, 2017 1146 East 67th Street near Troost Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri: Gibbons was shot in the back of the head after getting off a city bus. Surveillance footage showed a man following him from the bus. Investigators recovered a discarded iced-tea bottle believed to have been handled by the follower. DNA from the bottle was later matched to DNA collected from a cigarette discarded by Scott, providing police with a major break in the investigation.

...

Confirmed Victims: (0)
Suspected Victims:

Karen Harmeyer Age: (64), Date of Death: 2017-07-18

Steve Gibbons Age: (57), Date of Death: 2017-08-13

John Palmer Age: (54), Date of Death: 2016-08-19

David Lenox Age: (67), Date of Death: 2017-02-27

Timothy S. Rice Age: (57), Date of Death: 2017-04-04

Michael Darby Age: (61), Date of Death: 2017-05-18

Families of alleged serial killer's victims still waiting for trial years later