On January 28, 2024, 14-year-old Claude Hodges Jr., a Black male and freshman at Northwest High School, was found dead from a gunshot wound to his upper body in a west Wichita apartment. Officers had been called for a welfare check after Claude missed a scheduled custody exchange and did not answer his phone. Responding officers found an exterior bullet hole, forced entry, and encountered his 43-year-old mother, Kylee Renee Hodges, who was armed. A hours-long standoff followed with negotiators and a SWAT team; Hodges left the apartment but then pointed a handgun at officers and was shot and critically injured by two SWAT officers.

After the standoff ended and officers re-entered the apartment, Claude was discovered deceased in a bedroom. Family members said Claude had become closer to his father and stepmother and had expressed a desire to spend more time with them; they described him as a happy teen and a wrestler who wanted to become a lawyer. His mother had been involved in a prolonged custody dispute with Claude’s father and was reportedly under mental and financial strain after losing her job as a parole officer.

Does anyone have information about Claude’s last known movements or the custody exchanges leading up to that day?