Frank Elliot Raney Jr., 24, performed as FrankieBTW and was building a music career that included two mixtapes, an album titled Papi Chulo, and a 2014 tour with T-Pain. He was found shot inside a car near Bannister Road and McGee Street in southeast Kansas City in the early morning hours of July 8, 2017, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Kansas City Police Department’s investigation recovered a gun, a bullet, fingerprints, and trajectory information from the vehicle and identified two suspects before presenting the case to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutors declined to file charges, and no arrests were made; police say the case is closed but could be reopened if new evidence or witnesses appear. His mother, LaNita Raney, has publicly expressed frustration that the evidence was not enough to secure a prosecution.

Frank’s family remembers him as a dreamer, jokester, and creative force whose plans to move to California and launch an apparel brand ended with unanswered questions about who killed him. If anyone has information that could move this case forward, please come forward.