On March 17, 2001, Officer Terry Eugene Foster, 54, responded to a domestic disturbance at a home on the 3600 block of Ralston Avenue in Independence, Missouri. A veteran with 32 years on the force and weeks from planned retirement, Foster went to the upstairs bedroom where the household’s adult son, identified as 34-year-old Jeff Keith, had barricaded himself. Foster spent about an hour trying to talk Keith into surrendering and getting medical help before officers forced entry.

When the door was breached, Keith opened fire with a rifle, striking Foster multiple times in the head and chest. Fellow officers pulled Foster out, but oxygen tanks stored in the bedroom ignited, producing a massive explosion and fast-spreading fire. Foster died of his wounds; Keith’s body was later found in the charred remains. Because the shooter died at the scene, no arrests or trials followed and the investigation concluded that Keith acted alone.

Did anyone in the area know Foster’s assignment or had contact with the family before March 17, 2001?