Kansas City, Missouri — A 27-year-old woman is facing a first-degree murder charge after a 93-year-old was found brutally killed inside her own home, in a case that has left investigators and community members deeply shaken.
Diana Barco, 93, was discovered face down in her shower by a care worker who arrived at the Briarcliff Road residence on June 9. The worker first noticed Barco’s walker left outside near the front door before entering and finding the elderly woman unresponsive. Authorities arrived around 11:30 a.m. and found visible signs of severe physical trauma.
According to the medical examiner, Barco suffered multiple stab wounds to the back of her head and neck and showed signs of strangulation. A handheld showerhead had been pulled from the wall and wrapped around her upper body. Blood was found in the bathroom doorway and on clothing scattered across the bathroom floor.
Kelisha Reeves was arrested on June 13 in Jasper County, approximately 150 miles south of Kansas City, in connection with a separate property damage case. When taken into custody, investigators found a credit card belonging to Barco in her possession — with the victim’s name scratched off. Additional items believed to have been taken from Barco’s home were also recovered.
Investigators also connected Reeves to a domestic disturbance and an arson reported in the same neighborhood on June 8, just one day before Barco’s body was discovered. A witness to the arson reported hearing someone in Reeves’ group say: “If I can’t have a place to live, neither can you.” That statement has since become a focal point of the investigation.
Reeves told detectives that Barco had invited her inside after seeing her crying outside, and that the victim willingly gave her the credit card. Prosecutors, however, filed first-degree murder charges.
Reeves remains held in the Clay County Jail on a $1 million bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for June 30.
