Man's Body Found in SUV After It's Towed Away

Missouri man's death being investigated as a homicide
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 30, 2023 3:00 AM CST
After SUV Is Towed, Man's Body Is Found Inside
   (Getty Images / choochart choochaikupt)

After returning from a trip to Disneyland, Adam Blackstock Sr. couldn't get a hold of his son, so he eventually used GPS to locate what he believed to be his son's vehicle. He called police to report Adam "AJ" Blackstock Jr. missing and to let them know about the vehicle, which appeared to be in a Kansas City, Missouri, driveway, covered by a tarp, the AP reports. Police went to the home in question and a resident said the vehicle was her uncle's; police contacted the man and he said it was his but that he didn't have time to cooperate with their investigation, the Kansas City Star reports. Blackstock Sr., however, used a remote starter to start the car in an attempt to persuade police that it actually belonged to his son, and police eventually got permission from the woman to allow the SUV to be towed away. What they didn't notice: the body of Blackstock Jr. in the back.

Police did notice that there appeared to be a bullet hole in the driver's seat and blood on the floorboards and passenger seat, but they didn't investigate, and it was only after the SUV was towed away that the body of Blackstock Jr., who was 24 and had an 18-month-old son, was found in the cargo area of the vehicle. His death is now under investigation as a homicide. While his family and forensic experts are wondering why police waited until the vehicle was towed on Jan. 17 before searching it, the police department points out that it did not have a search warrant at the time. Officers showed "very creative thinking to talk the homeowner into allowing the vehicle to be towed based on consent at that time, when there was no other legal standing to enter onto the property, much less process the car on the property," says a spokesperson.

(More Missouri stories.)

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