On Thursday, Kylr Yust appeared before a judge on charges related to burning the car that belongs to missing 21-year-old Jessica Runions.
It has been three weeks since anyone has seen or heard from Runions. She was last spotted leaving a house party with Yust.
Inside a Jackson County courtroom on Thursday, the father of Jessica Runions had to be held back as Yust walked in. Yust had to be taken away and brought back into the courtroom. Throughout the hearing Yust appeared calm and collected. The courtroom was packed with people supporting the Runions family, including the family of Kara Kopetsky.
Kylr Yust is Kopetsky's ex-boyfriend. She has been missing since 2007. Kopetsky was last seen on Belton High School’s surveillance video leaving the school around 10:30 in the morning on May 5th.
The Yust family was not in the courtroom, however a friend of Yust made it a point to be there. She only identified herself as Jennifer.
“I think that everybody in court here wants to hurt him or shoot him or be mad at him and I wanted him to see one face that he knew,” said Jennifer.
Jennifer told 41 Action News Yust texted her the night Jessica Runions disappeared to hangout with her at his grandfathers house.
“We were texting back and forth about coming over. He was supposedly at his grandfathers house, and wanted to come over and pick him up, and then I told him it was already too late for me,” said Jennifer.
Yust is only charged with burning Runions' car, and currently faces no other charges in relations to her disappearance. The Kansas City Police Department says they are still investigating her disappearance as a missing persons case. They would not elaborate on their efforts to find Runions, but her family says they have faith in the police investigation.
“Right now the police have him, the courts have him, he’s being taken care of,” said Jessica Runions grandmother Linda Runions.
The Runions family said Jessica is a fun loving girl, and is very close with their big family. They can not imagine why anyone would want to hurt Jessica.
“It’s hard to imagine a family member of yours gone and it actually happening. It’s just kind of surreal it doesn’t really hit you until you have all of us around and she’s not here,” said Jessica Runions' cousin Kelly Newberry.
“Our goal is to have Jessica home with us first and foremost and then justice to be done whatever they found, whatever happened,” said Linda Runions.
Yust is due back in court on October 31.
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Ali Hoxie can be reached at ali.hoxie@kshb.com
