Christina L Cunningham

A woman is shot and left to die on an entrance ramp to I-29 south
Christina Lenai Cunningham, known to her family and friends as “Chrissy,” was a quiet, academically gifted, and deeply loved young woman with a bright future. A 23-year-old female, Chrissy was born on April 28, 1993, in Denver, Colorado, to her loving parents, Kevin and Serese Brown. Raised in a Christian home, she was known as a very private person who opened up when it came to her studies. She graduated from Washington High School in Kansas City, Kansas, at the top of her class with a 3.9 GPA. During her four years there, she was a dedicated soccer and volleyball player and a standout in the R.O.T.C. program, rising from a Private to the distinguished rank of Commander of the Cadets in her senior year. After considering the Armed Services, she chose to attend Donnelly College, where she pursued an Associates of Science, excelling in her favorite subjects: science, math, and chemistry. At the time of her death, she lived in Kansas City, Kansas, with her beloved dog, Smoky, whom she treated like a child, and worked as a Guest Services Representative at the Country Inn & Suites near the Kansas Speedway.

The evening of Saturday, February 4, 2017, began with a simple plan. Chrissy told her parents she was going to meet a friend north of the river and would come to their house afterward to dye her hair. She never made it. At approximately 10:28 p.m., a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper on patrol in Platte County noticed a vehicle stopped on the south entrance ramp to Interstate 29 at Northwest 56th Street. Assuming it was a stranded motorist, the trooper pulled over to help. The car was empty. A search of the immediate area led the trooper to a devastating discovery: Chrissy was lying in a nearby ditch. She had been shot but was still alive.

Emergency medical services were immediately dispatched, and Chrissy was rushed to North Kansas City Hospital. Tragically, her injuries were too severe, and she was pronounced dead at 10:00 p.m., the same time of night she had been born 23 years earlier. The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department opened a homicide investigation. Detectives believed that Chrissy was likely shot while inside her vehicle, possibly by a passenger, before she was left for dead on the side of the interstate. The exact sequence of events—whether she was pushed from the car or managed to get out on her own—remains one of the case's many unanswered questions.

The investigation into Chrissy’s murder proved difficult from the start. Her parents were not familiar with all of her acquaintances, making it challenging for detectives to identify the friend she was supposed to meet that night. The identity of the person or people she was with remains a central mystery. In the years since her death, her family has been left waiting for answers. Her father remembered her as a hardworking young woman who was trying to find her path in life. Her family held her funeral services on February 18, 2017, at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, her home church, finding solace in their faith.

As of today, the murder of Christina Cunningham remains unsolved. The case, number 17-8859, is still open with the Kansas City Missouri Police Department's Homicide Unit. No arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The motive for this violent act against a young woman with so much promise is unknown.

Detectives continue to seek information from the public that could lead to a breakthrough. Anyone with information about what happened to Christina Cunningham on that night in February 2017 is urged to come forward. A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information leading to an arrest. Tips can be called in to the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477) or directly to the KCPD Homicide Unit at 816-234-5043. Detective M. Slater is the case detective and can be reached at 816-889-1612.