John Jefferson
Carthage Police Department investigators in Missouri swarm crime scene (KSN/screengrab), (inset left to right) Gavino McJunkins-Macias (Jasper County Jail, Mo., mug shot), Kenia Lopez (GoFundMe)
A husband called 911 on himself after murdering his wife, a mother of two, on a camping trip in Kansas and driving the victim’s body “across state lines” into Missouri, law enforcement alleges.
The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Gavino McJunkins-Macias, is accused of calling 911 just before noon on June 13, last Thursday, to say that 24-year-old Kenia Lopez was dead inside of a camper. As a result, he faces a second-degree murder case in Kansas and abandonment of a corpse charge in Missouri, authorities said.
The Miami County Sheriff’s Office in Kansas alleged that McJunkins-Macias committed the slaying in a rural area in Louisburg, but investigators have not said anything yet about a potential motive. Kansas authorities said they first learned of the case from Missouri’s Carthage Police Department, the local law enforcement agency for the city where McJunkins-Macias and Lopez were residents.
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On June 13, cops said, Lopez was found dead in a camper trailer “from an apparent homicide.”
The Kansas City Star reported, citing a police report, that McJunkins-Macias “committed a violent murder” and then drove Lopez’s body “across state lines” before abandoning her remains as he “spoke with family and an attorney.”
The alleged 911 call followed.
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A GoFundMe campaign started by Marlen Mendez Garcia, who identified herself as one of Kenia Lopez’s “best friends,” revealed that the victim is a mother of two who was also raising her three siblings.
“At this time, I know that her family will be needing a lot of support and support for the funeral expenses,” the friend said, demanding justice in the case. “If you are able to donate to help this family, it would be greatly appreciated, but if not, then please keep them in your prayers.”
As of early Monday, the campaign has raised more than $7,000.
Just before the weekend, McJunkins-Macias was jailed as a fugitive in Jasper County, Mo., as he awaits extradition to Kansas to face the murder case, jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
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