Sherae Honeycutt

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Original Post

The family of a murdered Kansas City rapper says police didn’t do their jobs.

Mack Jones disappeared a week ago today, and was found dead days later. Tuesday, his family took the issue straight to the top – to the police chief and Board of Police Commissioners.

While the family said police didn’t follow protocol, police say they did. Either way, a family is still missing a loved one, and hopes changes can be made.

“We begged and pleaded with the police to file a missing person’s report and we were told that he did not meet the criteria,” Jones’ sister, RaShaunda Croffer, said.

Jones’ family believes police wasted valuable time in finding the slain rapper known as Smacc Turner by not allowing them to file a missing persons report immediately.

“I just feel like maybe if somebody would have helped us he would still be alive,” Croffer said.

On July 2, Jones mother, Annetta Authorlee, said she went to police because she knew her son was in danger.

“Nobody should have to go through this,” Authorlee said. “A mother knows their child. There’s nobody on the earth that can tell a mother about their child, and I told them he was in danger, because that’s not like him.”

“We told them it was not like him,” Croffer said. “We showed them threatening text messages that he was getting that showed proof that he was in harms way and they still told us that they would not help us.”

The family was able to file the report on July 5. The next day, Jones was found dead in a car near 66th and Monroe.

Latahra Smith, with the KC Freedom Project, stepped up to help the family. She says according to KCPD procedures if there was an indication of foul play they should have been able to file a report, and the text messages they have show that.

“They dropped the ball,” Smith said. “They failed this family, and the other families of missing persons that came to this agency for help and didn’t get it.”

“Officers did take a miscellaneous report at that time documenting the timeline of what they had said had gone on up to that point,” Sgt. Jake Becchina with KCPD said. “That way they had an accurate timeline. We had everything documented and reported at that time should further information come out, which did end up happening a few days later.”

Mayor-Elect Quinton Lucas listened to the family during the board meeting, and wants to reassure them that their loved one is not forgotten.

“My condolences to them, first of all, but I also give them my commitment to say that we’re going to look to find the offenders, bring them to justice, but then also make sure that we long term have an approach that there’s not more victims ahead,” Mayor-Elect Lucas said.

“I love him and I miss him and I wish he was here,” Authorlee said.

At the meeting the board decided to look at it’s policy to make sure it meets state requirements.

Police still have not said how Jones died, or if there is a suspect in his murder.

If you have information in Jones’ death there is a $25,000 reward leading to a conviction, and you can remain anonymous.

The family has set up a fund to assist with mounting costs for Jones’ funeral, if you would like to help you can do so here.