By Paul Thompson

Northeast News

February 15, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Just before 6:00 a.m. on the morning of Wednesday, February 15, KCFD firefighters at a structure fire on the 5000 block of 9th Street in the Historic Northeast called KCPD after discovering a dead body on the premises.

An individual and a dog were both found deceased in a burned shed behind the home, which is located roughly a block away from the 9th and Van Brunt Athletic Fields. KCPD Cpt. Stacey Graves told media later in the morning that the incident isn’t being investigated as a homicide at this time.

“Bomb and Arson detectives are on scene; they’re investigating,” said Graves. “We can’t say if this is a homicide investigation or not – at this point it’s just a death investigation.”

Graves further noted that the police department was not yet able to identify the gender of the victim. She added that the body would likely need to be examined by a medical examiner before a final determination of the cause of death could be identified. She indicated that the process could take a couple of days.

“At this this time, KCPD is not confirming the gender, just because detectives from Bomb and Arson have said that, due to the condition of the body, they’re unable to identify,” said Graves. “It might take some time to identify the victim, just due to the circumstances, but I will keep everyone updated as I am.”

According to Graves, a confrontational man with a weapon did approach investigators at the scene. Officers saw that he was distraught, talked to him, and diffused the situation.

“There was a man who came on the scene who was very upset and confronted officers with some type of sword or machete. The officers were able to deescalate the situation; he was taken in for questioning and he’s not under arrest.”