‘Police could have helped;’ Grandmother still searching for missing local teen last seen in Kansas City

KMOV
Justin Andrews
March 27, 2024

Wednesday afternoon, Kansas City Police posted on social media asking for the public’s help in finding T’Montez Hurt, 19, of St. Louis, who went missing on February 1.

His grandmother, Tecona Donald-Sullivan, said her grandson is a Missouri Western University freshman who was last seen nearly two months ago while visiting Kansas City, Mo. Sullivan is asking why it took so long for them to do anything.

“I just want to find my baby. Police could have helped; they could have helped a long time ago,” said Sullivan.

With every new hour that goes by, she said there are new questions growing in her mind. The Kansas City Police Department sent First Alert 4 a heavily redacted incident report, only telling us a detective has been assigned to the case and the investigation is ongoing.

“I have a lot of emotions,” said Sullivan. “I really feel like my grandson is alive.”

On February 1, Sullivan said her grandson texted asking her to call him in the wee hours of the morning. During the call, she said Hurt told her he thought someone drugged him.

“He answers the phone like he was in distress, which scared me,” she said.

Sullivan said Kansas City police were dispatched to where her grandson was, and an ambulance took him to a Kansas City hospital for evaluation. She told First Alert 4 that the hospital called him a rideshare once he was discharged, taking him to a Greyhound station to send him to St. Louis, where she lives.

Surveillance video from the station shows the last time Hurt was seen.

“This is someone’s son and grandson, and they need to find him and help bring him home,” said Natalie Wilson.

Wilson co-founded the Black and Missing Foundation, whose mission is to bring awareness to missing persons of color. Wilson said 40 percent of the missing population are people of color, and typically their cases are swept under the rug.

“It is disheartening that law enforcement did not act when the family first filed that missing person report,” said Wilson. “His family is searching for him and they deserve answers as to what happened to him.”

Wilson said race and zip code are typical barriers as to why law enforcement resources aren’t allocated equally for Black and brown missing persons.

Sullivan is hoping for more attention on her missing grandson, considering the national exposure of Riley Strain when he first went missing in early March.

Photo credit: KMOV