http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/ledkins_jody.html
Vital Statistics at Time of DisappearanceMissing Since: May 23, 1985 from Kansas City, Missouri
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: September 20, 1970
Age: 14 years old
Height and Weight: 5'1, 90 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Ledkins has a small mole under chin and a large mark under one of her arms. She wore large round eyeglasses at the time of her disappearance. Ledkins has an appendectomy scar on her abdomen. Some agencies refer to her as Jody Stratton.
Details of DisappearanceLedkins was last seen at a friend's house in the 700 block of Cambrige Street in Kansas City, Missouri on May 23, 1985. She had an argument with her boyfriend and other friends on the day of her disappearance. She apparently wanted to accompany them to their destination, but they refused.
Ledkins walked to a nearby friend's residence and called her mother, asking for a ride home to the 2300 block of Topping Street. Her mother did not have her car and Ledkins told her she would find another ride. Ledkins was never heard from again. She did not take any money or extra clothing with her when she disappeared.
Ledkins was enrolled in a juvenile probation program at the time she disappeared. (She and a friend had had a run-in with a security guard in 1984). Her caseworker was contacted by Ledkins' mother after the disappearance. The caseworker filed two warrants for Ledkins, listing her as an endangered juvenile who should be detained by authorities if she was spotted. Ledkins's mother assumed that the warrants also meant juvenile authorities had filed a missing child report with law enforcement; they did not. Law enforcement never considered Ledkins as a missing person until 1987, two years following her disappearance, because they had not been notified. As a result, Ledkins's case was obviously extremely delayed and clues were minimal by the time the investigation began.
In 1997, police dragged the Missouri River after two prison inmates claimed they had information on the case. Their tip went nowhere, but it lead the Kansas City Police Department to reclassify Ledkins's case as a homicide. Her mother now lives in Arkansas but visits Kansas City a few times every year to search for her daughter. Ledkins's case remains unsolved.
Investigating AgencyIf you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Kansas City Police Department
816-234-5140
