‘This has ripped a hole in our family’: Family seeks justice after mother of 6 was murdered

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The family of a recently killed mother is asking the public for help in identifying a suspect.

On June 17th, 29-year-old Taylor Thomas was shot near the intersection of Linwood Boulevard and Walrond Avenue. She was taken to a local hospital but passed away two days later because of her injuries.

The fatal shooting happened two days after Thomas’ 29th birthday. She was the mother of six children.

“Some of her babies are two, three, and four. They’ll never remember who their mother was,” said Deannia Ellis, Taylor’s stepmom who raised her. “They robbed her from that and her kids from that, and that’s not fair.”

“This has ripped a hole in our family,” said Lawonia Carlton, Taylor’s biological mother. “It’s ripped a hole in my heart. There is not a moment that goes by that I don’t think about Taylor.”

Taylor’s family say she was active in her kids’ lives – serving as a homeroom parent and as a member of their school’s PTA. Now, her family must raise six children – all ages 10 and below – without their mother.

“To tell her children what happened to their mom, it was really hard on all of us,” Ellis said. “I don’t think you could prepare yourself to tell a 10-year-old, a 9-year-old, a 7-year-old, a 4-year-old, a 3-year-old, and a 2-year-old that someone took the life of their mom. That’s very hard.”

Currently, the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department has no suspects in custody in the case. Taylor’s family wants the public to come forward with information to help KCPD – not just in this case, but in all cases of unsolved gun violence.

“There is nothing that’s going to stop this until somebody stands up and says something and does something,” said Mary Chavis, Taylor’s stepmom. “If you see something, say something. Don’t be afraid.”

“No one has the right to take the life of another person,” Ellis said. “We’re not supposed to bury our children. Our children are supposed to bury us. It’s not okay and we just want it to stop. We want justice for her and anyone who ever goes through this.”

If you have any information that may help in this case, you are asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

A GoFundMe has been created to help the family cover Taylor’s funeral costs. You can donate here.