KANSAS CITY, Mo. — 2023 was the deadliest year in Kansas City's history, seeing 182 homicides. Some of those remain unsolved, along with other cases from years prior that are still not closed.
Elisha Gatson's 20-year-old son, Matthew Gatson, is one of them. Elisha said he was the man of the house and a role model to his seven siblings.
"He was the daddy to them; big brother to them," Elisha Gatson said. "He was the one that kind of held the family together."
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That bond was severed, however, when Matthew was killed on December 11, 2022.
"My heart dropped," Elisha Gatson said. "It’s just hard, period."
The family just honored the first anniversary of Matthew's death. Over a year later and still no answers.
Elisha is growing frustrated. She said she calls police hoping to hear any response.
"I just want to know that y'all actually working on my son's case," Elisha Gatson said.
On Wednesday afternoon, Kansas City, Missouri, Police Chief Stacey Graves said detectives have cleared 73% of homicides, meaning a suspect has been identified and charged.
She said 22 cases are being reviewed for charges.
"They have a team of prosecutors that look at each one, and sometimes out of those 22, they might send those back and say, 'Hey, we need a little more on this,'" Graves said. "They want to make sure that they are, that we present a case for successful prosecution."
It's a thorough process that can take time, but Elisha Gatson is asking for better communication.
"Sometimes just reaching out and saying, you know this is the update on your case, and yes, we’re still working," Elisha said.
Her and her family are waiting for closure, like the other hundreds of cases with families behind them.
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