Jackson Co. legislator Manny Abarca, son reported missing; Abarca responds

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A missing persons report has been filed for Jackson County legislator Manny Abarca and his two-year-old son, Luca.

The Shawnee Police Department filed the report with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which shows individual reports for both Abarca and his son.

KCTV5 spoke with Abarca’s wife, Alexis, after seeing a post from her on Facebook, claiming that Abarca and their son were missing. She tells us that she last saw her son five days ago, on Wednesday, May 28 and last saw Abarca the following day, Thursday, May 29.

She says they were last together at Abarca’s father’s house in Shawnee, where they had met to switch vehicles. She then told KCTV5 some sort of “incident” happened and police were called.

After learning of the missing persons reports, KCTV5 reached out to Abarca via email, and he responded with a written statement:

“It has come to my attention that a ‘missing persons’ report has been filed erroneously concerning my son and me. Please rest assured we are not missing and we are both safe and healthy.”

After KCTV5 requested an interview with Abarca, he responded: “Thanks for reaching out, it has obviously been an unexpected evening. Happy to chat as soon as I am safe and able. For now, if you can coordinate with [my legislative aide] Monica [Bravo] we will make something happen.”

The Shawnee Police Department confirmed to KCTV5 Monday morning that a missing persons report has been filed and is currently under “active investigation.”

“We have been in with individuals connected to the case and have received some information regarding the circumstances,” a spokesperson with Shawnee PD tells KCTV5.

They also confirmed they have spoken with Abarca over the phone, but have not been able to Abarca or his son’s well-being in person.

“While there is no immediate indication of danger, the investigation remains open out of an abundance of caution until we can independently their safety and well-being,” the spokesperson added.

On Monday morning, County Legislator Sean Smith said Abarca attended a virtual meeting on Friday with himself and two other legislators.

“He seemed fine and spoke on items that the community group was asking about related to the budget veto by the County Executive,” Smith said.

KCTV5 has followed up with Shawnee police regarding the incident that Alexis alleged took place on May 29, and we are awaiting a response.

Meanwhile, Alexis tells KCTV5 she has spoken to police multiple times, including authorities in Kansas City, Mo. KCTV5 reached out to KD Monday morning and they told us there was not a report filed in the city, but they would be following up with investigators later in the morning.

Alexis went on to tell KCTV5 her son is in need of medication that she has in her possession. In her Facebook post, Alexis says, “I am asking for help as a mother that is desperate to get her son back.”

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation referred KCTV5 back to the Shawnee Police Department, saying the KBI manages the missing persons clearinghouse in Kansas, but is not involved in investigating most missing persons cases.

KCTV5 has reached out to Manny Abarca’s office at the Jackson County Legislature to learn more about this ongoing situation.

This is a developing story. We will continue to provide updates to this story as we get new information.

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