More than two months after Amber Simpson was last seen in Kansas City, authorities say her skeletal remains were found in central Missouri — turning a missing-person case into an active death investigation.
Simpson, 41, was last seen around May 10 and officially reported missing on June 3, according to KCTV5, which cited the Kansas City Police Department. The medical examiner positively identified the remains this week, after KCPD detectives located them at an address in Nelson, a Saline County community about 85 miles east of Kansas City.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's 2025 Annual Report, 59 unidentified-human-remains samples were submitted and seven individuals were identified. The Missouri State Highway Patrol's 2024 Annual Report says the laboratory was awarded $1.5 million in the 2024 legislative session to process unidentified human remains.
Police Investigate Death After Missing-Person Search
KCPD is treating the case as an active death investigation, and the initial report did not identify a cause of death or announce any arrests. The discovery also shifts the investigation from a missing-person search to a case involving authorities in both Jackson and Saline counties.
Prosecutors Reviewing Potential Charges
The Kansas City Police Department is working with the Jackson County and Saline County prosecutors’ offices to identify subjects of interest and determine whether charges should be filed, KCTV5 reported. Police have not publicly described a suspect or released additional details about how Simpson died.
Anyone who had contact with Simpson around the beginning of May or has information about her disappearance is asked to contact KCPD’s Missing Persons Section at 816-234-5043. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers at 816-474-8477.
The KCPD Missing Persons Unit investigates missing-person cases and provides the department’s contact information for people who may have relevant information. The investigation remains ongoing.
