Kansas City police open homicide case after missing 52-year-old found dead

Kansas City police on Tuesday opened a new homicide investigation after finding the dead body of a 52-year-old Kansas City man who disappeared last week under suspicious circumstances.

The body of Gilberto D. Gutierrez was found by police around 10:45 a.m. Monday after officers were dispatched to the intersection of 56th Terrace and Elmwood Avenue. Police initially classified the investigation as a suspicious death.

In a statement Tuesday, Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City Police Department, said detectives “are still working to determine what led up to the victim’s death.”

“There is no additional information that can be released at this time,” Drake said.

On May 11, police issued an alert seeking the public’s assistance with finding Gutierrez after he was last seen that afternoon near his farm in the area of Bannister Road and View High Drive in south Kansas City.

At the time, police reported that his family was concerned for his welfare.

KCPD is encouraging anyone with information to call the homicide unit at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. A $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest is being offered in the case.