KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The family of Robert “Robbie” Duren is grieving the loss of the 16-year-old after he was found dead after KCMO house fire.
Kansas City, Missouri, firefighters alerted the police department at 11:30 p.m. on September 6th crews found a dead body after knocking down a house fire in the 5700 block of Bales Avenue.
After a preliminary investigation, Duren's was classified as suspicious.
An autopsy by the Jackson County Medical Examiner's Office classified Duren's death as a homicide.
The cause of the fire and what killed Duren remain under investigaton.
Duren’s mother, Laurie Clark, thought her son was going to his cousin’s house on Sept. 5th to watch the Chiefs game.
“He said that he was spending the night," Clark said. “I wasn’t so worried at first because I knew he was with a cousin, or that was where he was supposed to be.”
They began to worry after not hearing from him that night or the next day.
“It wasn’t normal for him to be gone more than one night away from home,” Clark said. “So the second night, I figure, ‘Okay,’ when his phone was going to voicemail, ‘Okay, he’s with his cousin, so I guess he’s having fun,’ so he’ll charge his phone at some point."'
It was so out of character for Duren to not reach out to his family for so long, they filed a missing persons report and posted on social media he was missing.
“He doesn’t let his phone die out, he liked to stay on his phone," said Dr. Ruby Duren, Robbie’s grandmother. "It was dead for too long.”
Clark found out Monday the heartbreaking news: Robbie was dead.
“What really breaks my heart is that life has forever changed,” Clark said. “Not just for me, but other families.”
While there are plenty of unknowns in this case, Duren’s family is certain of one thing: who Robbie was.
“Robbie was a fly guy,” Duren said. “He’s gonna come home, brush his teeth, wash his face, primp with his hair, and he’s gonna get dressed. He’s gonna look neat and ready for the day.”
It wasn’t just his outward appearance that made an impact, but also who he was on the inside.
“Robert was always a fun, loving child,” said Clark. “He was just goofy, liked to have fun. He loved being around his family and couple of close friends.”
He even joked about the spelling of his nickname. Even though people used, "Robbie," his family said he always preferred "Robby" because he said it was 'a guy's spelling.'
Clark was joined by several of her son's other family members, including his sister, grandmother, godmother and a couple aunts.
Back row from left to right: aunt, aunt, godmother, sister
“This is just a fraction,” Duren said. “There’s been an outpouring of family support. You couldn’t find a parking spot on the street.”
Just reminiscing about Robbie put a smile on their faces.
“We’re a family that jokes and laughs,” Duren said. “Part of the laughter is gone. It’s a void.”
It’s not easy with the family’s baby gone.
Duren was the youngest of Clark’s four children.
“He was the baby,” Duren said. “And that’s hard to process.”
At age 16, his life was just beginning.
“I think I did the best I could,” Clark said. “Once our children are out of our vision, we don’t know what they’re doing.”
It’s why she wants to be able to put a little more faith in her community.
“There needs to be more positive resources in this city, and I don’t feel like there’s enough focus on our children, for other children," Clark said. "So this doesn’t continue to happen, and so another mother doesn’t feel like I feel with her 16-year-old son or child.”
Duren says that starts with addressing an ongoing issue in this city: gun violence.
“Something has to give, especially in Kansas City,” Duren said. “Too much violence. Kids killing kids, teenage violence, it needs to stop somewhere.”
The family is seeking any support they can to help pay funeral expenses.
They've set up a place for donations via GoFundMe.
They’re holding onto the memories they have of Robbie while clinging to one final wish.
“If you see something, say something,” Duren said.
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KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
