JACKSON COUNTY, MO — A homicide investigation is underway after Independence police confirmed the identity of the person whose body was recovered from a property off Buckner Tarsney Road in unincorporated Grain Valley, MO. Police are investigating the death of 32-year-old Kensie Renee Aubry.
According to court records a separate child sex crimes investigation into the property owner, Michael Hendricks, and his girlfriend Maggie Ybarra brought investigators to the property to search for a body. Both Hendricks and Ybarra are accused of molesting a teen girl. During that investigation, the teen told investigators she believed a woman was killed and her body could be found on Hendricks’ property.
Hendricks and Ybarra are charged with nine counts including enticement or attempted enticement of a child, child molestation, sexual misconduct and tampering with physical evidence in felony prosecution. According to court records, the teen told investigators, “Hendricks showed her pictures of a girl and they told her they killed the girl.” The teen said that she was told Hendricks “choked her to death” and “put her in the freezer.” They also showed the teen pictures of the body and it was cut up. She said that they told her they buried the body.
On Wednesday, investigators dug a large hole in the ground on the property to search for buried remains. Around 3:20PM, police announced they had recovered human remains. On Thursday, Independence police confirmed they recovered Aubry’s remains. She was reported missing from Independence, MO in October of last year.
According to a search warrant, the same property was searched in May using the Missouri Search and Rescue K-9 Unit. A canine had a confirmed hit on a circular saw. FBI investigators used luminal and said they discovered blood in a bathroom in a helicopter hangar on the property. Court records show the Kansas City Police Crime Lab analyzed blood found on the saw and conformed a female genetic profile was detected.
As of Thursday evening, no one has been charged for the homicide. Police have not named anyone as a suspect in the ongoing investigation.
Greg Watt, an attorney representing Michael Hendricks for the sex crimes charges says his client is innocent. In a written statement he said, “Our office is behind Mr. Hendricks one hundred percent. We will be standing strong for this man and his family with an eye toward the day where we can present his case to a jury of his peers. Our office is honored to be in a position where we can take on complex cases like this one without any hesitation whatsoever.”