KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City mother’s death is getting nationwide attention.
FOX4 brought you Asia Maynard’s story last week, but now even celebrities are sharing it on social media.
The Kansas City Police Department said it hasn’t received a final determination from the medical examiner about how Maynard died. Her family hopes the national attention she’s getting can push police to find out exactly what happened to Asia.
“Asia was outgoing, great mother. Loved to cook. She just loved family,” her sister Teara Maynard said.
She said her life isn’t as bright without her sister, Asia. The 29-year-old mother of four died on Feb. 19 after her family said she went on a date with a man they didn’t know.
“Our family really wants answers. We’re trying to grieve, and it’s so hard to grieve when we don’t know what happened to my sister. We just want answers,” Teara Maynard said.
Maynard was supposed to meet her sister the next day, but never showed up. When Teara filed a missing person’s report, she found that police knew where she was. She had died overnight at a man’s house. He allegedly called police when he woke up in the morning and found her dead.
“I’m not going to lie. It’s going to be very tough. I’m really trying to stand strong for my family. It’s very tough,” Maynard said.
After FOX4 aired Asia’s story last week, it’s received national attention. Articles from Complex and the Shade Room popped up online. Her story was shared by comedian DL Hughley and prominent attorney Ben Crump on Twitter. Several vloggers and podcasters have already started talking about the complexities of the case and why they believe police should do more.
Thousands are now asking how Asia died.
“I believe they thought we would just go with the flow of everything. They would let us know she died of natural causes, and we would be OK. But we are a family who fights. When you know your family, you just know something’s not right,” Maynard said.
KCPD said they’re still investigating Maynard’s death, and the medical examiner has not made a determination on her cause of death. The family hopes people keep asking questions.
“We need that push for people to hear our story because a lot of people don’t know what’s going on. I think it’s a good thing. I want everybody to know thank you for sharing and stand behind us,” Maynard said.
KCPD said there was no new information on the case as of Wednesday. However, they emphasized they are still looking into the case and said there were no obvious signs of foul play.
Her case is considered a death investigation and not a homicide.
The family is currently raising money to try and retain a lawyer to assist them with her case and for an independent autopsy. If you would like to contribute, you can visit their Gofundme here.