Woman found dead at vacant Kansas City car wash apparently missing since early February

A 44-year-old woman whose body was discovered outside of a vacant Kansas City car wash was apparently reported missing from the city sometime in February, according to an online database of missing persons cases maintained by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Leigh Dalton, of Kansas City, was found dead late Monday morning in the 8300 block of Hickman Mills Road. Kansas City police officers discovered her body after being dispatched to the area concerning a medical call of an unknown nature, a department spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Responding officers discovered an adult female unresponsive near the vacant car wash. She was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel.

Crime scene personnel processed the area for evidence Monday as detectives sought any potential witnesses. On Tuesday, the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Dalton’s death was a homicide, Officer Donna Drake, a department spokeswoman, said.

A missing persons flyer posted on the highway patrol’s website lists a woman with the same name, age and date of birth as missing from Kansas City, whose last known contact at the time of the report was Feb. 4. KCPD is listed as the investigative agency for the missing persons case.

It was not clear when KCPD opened its missing persons case. The department did not immediately reply to The Star’s questions late Wednesday afternoon about the missing persons case or additional details related to the homicide investigation.

Dalton’s homicide marks the 21st investigated by Kansas City police so far this year, according to data maintained by The Star. In 2022, the city saw 171 homicides.

Kansas City police were asking anyone with information relevant to the homicide investigation to call homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or contact the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS.