Nicholas Walker

A canvassing event produces a missing key

KC Mothers In Charge Canvasses for Nicholas Walker

On Saturday February 11, KC Mothers in Charge canvassed for Nicholas Walker. He was found murdered in a car Dec. 19, 2015, at 6th and Elmwood.

His sister reached out to me. More than a year had gone by and there were no charges. I asked if she had talked to homicide and she said yes, she had talked to the homicide detective and they were doing what they were supposed to do. But she wondered if we could do something more.

We had done a vigil after Nicholas was murdered in 2015. But sometimes people are less afraid after some time has passed. So we met the family up there in the Northeast at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. It was a good event. We had media out there. The family brought a lot of people. Altogether, we had more than 25 people out there.

The community was receptive. One person came and said she had keys. She gave me keys she had found around the time of the homicide. People gave names, they gave phone numbers, they wanted to talk to the detectives.

Canvassing is great. My mothers enjoy it.  There were nine or ten of us out there. It was great for the community. People were stopping in cars and they were just so receptive to us. They care.

The keys belonged to the car that Nicholas was found in. A lady had picked them up that day and never did turn them in.  She said, well, the police were supposed to come back out.  She should have just called the Kansas City Police Department. They would have come right out.  As a community we have to turn up our thinking cap a little bit more. No disrespect meant, but what would you do if it was your loved one? Wouldn’t you want information to get to the police department?

I called the homicide sergeant that evening on my way home from canvassing and I said, “I think I’ve got the keys to the car you all have been looking for.” He said, “you are kidding me. We’ve been looking for those keys forever.” I took them down to him the next day. Having those keys with me, it felt good. I thought, I may be holding something that will help solve a homicide.