Couple in Limbo After Motel Raid Puts Them Out

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -  Dozens of people and animals were forced out of a crime-filled, pest-infested motel, in the Northland last week.  But despite those conditions, one couple forced out describes the last couple of days as a nightmare.

It happened at the Extended Stay Inn off I-35 and Northeast Antioch Rd.  Many guests used the hotel as temporary housing.

Several different agencies were involved in the investigation.  Many rooms were in shambles.

“I mean mice, fleas, cockroaches. I mean drug-infested,” said hotel guest Jill Williams.

Williams and her boyfriend Anthony Warden said despite all that, the motel was still a place to lay their head at night.  The couple called it home for four months, until it was condemned. They, along with more than 50 others, packed their belongings to find a new place.

“Oh my gosh, it was like a mass panic, everything. I was so distraught, it was just crazy,” Williams said.

Williams said she and Warner are staying inside a vacant house in Liberty for the next couple of weeks.  Warner and Williams’ two sons are helping to overhaul the home for a former employer.  But still, it has been a tough journey.

“This is not my type of living and it’s just insane. The way we were treated at the hotel and the way we were kicked out and no compensation for a place to stay or anything,” Williams said.

Williams said the motel owner did refund the pair $200.  Williams said that money went to renting a U-haul to get to their current location.  She said she is looking for a more permanent place, and a job.

“I’ve been homeless for now five years trying to get on my feet, on disability trying to get on my feet, and I can’t do it.  I can’t do it by myself,” she said.

At least Williams said she can breathe a little easier knowing the single room they share with a single bed and a pile of everything they own, is theirs for the next couple of weeks.  She said where they go after that, is anyone’s guess.

“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I’ll do the best I can with what I have,” she said.

The couple said they’ve sought out help from local agencies, but have had no luck.  If you want to contact them, you can call them at (816) 698-2549

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