# @thekansascitystar on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr3qihGMU--
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/18810571-thekansascitystar-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/b93ee90dcc.jpg
- **Posted:** 2023-05-05T17:25:22.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Kansas City Star (@thekansascitystar) — https://gondola.cc/thekansascitystar

## Caption

More than a year before 13-year-old Jayden Robker was found dead in a pond near his Kansas City home in the Northland, he told police he was being abused by his stepfather, according to a report obtained by The Star. 

The report, written by Gladstone police after Jayden ran away from home in November 2021, led police officers to contact the Missouri Department of Social Services. It is unclear what actions were taken by the state agency, which is charged with responding to reports of child abuse. 

But the report was made about 15 months before Jayden’s mother reported him missing from his home in February. His body was discovered by police five weeks later in a wooded area about a mile from his home near Northwest Plaza Drive and Northwest Plaza Avenue.

Jayden’s mother and stepfather have moved away from the Kansas City area. Neither have been named as suspects or persons of interest in the investigation, according to Capt. Karl Burris, a spokesman for the Gladstone Police Department. 

Jayden’s uncle, Derek Robker, and other loved ones told The Star they feel the Department of Social Services failed Jayden, regardless of how he ended up in the pond. 

He and others believe Jayden was living in an unsafe home environment prior to his disappearance — and had even communicated their concerns to DSS, Robker told The Star.

Read more of the story at the link in our bio.

#KansasCity #NorthlandKC #LocalNews

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## Tags

northlandkc, localnews, kansascity

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