This news about 18-year-old Elayjah Murray felt really heavy when I saw it, honestly. Things like this happen really close to home, and they always hit harder. This whole thing has shaken the people of South Kansas City.
According to her family, she was reported missing on November 28. Not long after, the police found out that she had been shot and didn’t survive. The part that shocked everybody is that the main suspect the police are looking for is Eric Phillips II. He is known as a Raytown South football coach and also a former member of the Army. The police said he has since vacated his apartment and is still at large in this case.
The Independence Police Department and the Kansas City Police are working together and are asking him to turn himself in. Murray’s family cannot take the agony. They just want answers, which I can only imagine how tough that must be because, even for someone in my own family who is hurt, my mind spins on it for days. It is on a whole different level for them.
There is a lot of chatter online about it. Traci Lynn Goodman put out a picture and told the Raytown folks to call 911 if they see him, and said she was praying for the girl’s family. A lady by the name of Shae reposted from a KC Discover story, surprising that a former Army soldier is now wanted for murder, besides a whole lot of talk of how broken the family has become.
There was so much sorrow and rage in the comments. One person asked KC Discover to post the GoFundMe link so the mother does not have to worry about the funeral. Another was shocked how someone who served in the Army is now running away from the law, hoping that he gets caught and that the young girl rests in peace.
It is hard to comprehend how someone trusted as a coach and someone expected to be disciplined as a soldier could be a suspect in something like this. Everything feels wrong. I hope the truth comes out soon, and the one who did this is adequately punished.
Rest in peace, Elayjah Murray. You may also be interested in: Alabama Mom Says Her Daughter Peed Blood After Being Hurt At Wilson School And Blames Staff For Bullying
