The case grew from eight cartridge casings and a glove fragment into murder charges against Gilliam’s former boyfriend.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A couple walking through an overgrown field found Elaysha Gilliam’s body near Dunbar Park, beginning an investigation that took more than two years to produce a murder charge against her former boyfriend.
Police first approached the case as a scene spread across tall grass near Oakley Avenue and East 36th Terrace. They found restraints, duct tape, cartridge casings and a torn glove fragment. Detectives then worked outward, identifying Gilliam, interviewing people who knew her, tracing a cellphone and testing DNA. The investigation reached a new stage in May 2026, when Ramello Robinson-Parks was arrested in an unrelated federal case and detectives found gloves in his backpack.
The couple discovered Gilliam on Feb. 19, 2024. They told detectives that they regularly stayed in the area and had walked into the field when they saw her. The same witnesses recalled hearing a woman scream and hearing gunfire about two nights earlier, at roughly 4 a.m. They did not report seeing a shooter or vehicle. Their recollection gave police an early estimate for when the violence may have occurred, but it left investigators without a direct witness to the killing.
Officers found Gilliam with her hands and feet bound by zip ties. Duct tape covered her mouth and had been wound around her head. She had gunshot wounds to her head, neck, torso, arm and buttocks, according to the probable cause statement. Emergency workers pronounced her dead at the scene. The medical examiner later determined that she died from multiple gunshot wounds and classified the death as a homicide. Police publicly identified her as 26-year-old Elaysha Gilliam.
The first search produced five .40-caliber cartridge casings. Investigators later brought an ATF dog to the lot, where it found three more. The eight casings documented repeated gunfire, but the public charging record does not identify the gun that fired them. It also does not say whether all eight were linked to the same firearm through ballistic examination. No weapon has been publicly described as the murder weapon.
A much smaller object became one of the case’s strongest alleged forensic links. Investigators recovered a torn piece of a latex medical-style glove from Gilliam’s hair. Prosecutors said later testing identified Robinson-Parks’ DNA on the fragment. They also said his DNA was found in material collected from Gilliam’s mouth and beneath a fingernail on her right hand. The public filing does not include the laboratory’s statistical findings or explain whether the samples contained mixtures from multiple people.
The tape, zip ties and casings did not yield Robinson-Parks’ DNA, according to accounts of the court record. That left investigators with evidence pointing in more than one direction. The glove fragment and body samples allegedly linked him to Gilliam, while the objects used to restrain her did not. Such differences can arise for many reasons, including the surface tested, how an item was handled and whether enough biological material remained. The meaning of those results will be determined through expert evidence rather than the charging document alone.
Detectives next reconstructed who had seen Gilliam before her death. A relative said she left home shortly after midnight Feb. 17 to meet Robinson-Parks. Another account placed her in a black Jeep Grand Cherokee associated with him at about 12:30 a.m. Police have not publicly disclosed video of the departure. The witness statement nevertheless established a last-known meeting and directed attention toward a relationship that had continued after a breakup.
Gilliam and Robinson-Parks had dated for about seven years and separated seven or eight months before the killing, witnesses said. They remained in contact and traveled together to Las Vegas on Feb. 10, returning to Kansas City early Feb. 16. The trip placed them together shortly before Gilliam disappeared. Another woman told detectives that Robinson-Parks spent part of Feb. 17 with her and left her home at about 2 p.m. to attend a baby shower. Investigators compared those statements with phone records and the estimated time of the shooting.
A cellphone associated with Robinson-Parks began moving away from towers near his residence shortly before 3 a.m. Feb. 17, according to prosecutors. At about 3:30 a.m., it used towers in the area of the vacant lot. The couple recalled hearing the scream and gunfire around 4 a.m. The alignment gave detectives a digital route that appeared to support the witnesses’ timing. The record does not establish the device’s exact location or prove that Robinson-Parks carried it.
Detectives interviewed Robinson-Parks on March 5, 2024. He said he had learned of Gilliam’s death after returning from Las Vegas and told officers that he had spoken with her on Valentine’s Day. He said she seemed normal during that conversation. He also said Gilliam sometimes disappeared for days after arguments. When detectives sought more detail about their recent discussions, Robinson-Parks said he needed to “get himself together” before continuing. Investigators did not report that he confessed.
People close to Gilliam provided accounts that contrasted with Robinson-Parks’ description. Friends and relatives called him jealous, insecure and controlling. Some said Gilliam received threatening messages or believed she was being watched. One person said she feared that another assault could become more serious. A witness also alleged that an earlier attack caused Gilliam to lose a twin pregnancy. Those statements may help prosecutors argue motive, but they remain allegations that the defense can challenge.
The investigation continued without a publicly announced arrest through 2024 and 2025. Gilliam’s family sought attention for the case and expressed concern that it would be forgotten. Her father, Ed Gilliam, said relatives were trying to remain strong for her four children. Her stepmother, Clydetta Gilliam, asked for answers. Family members said Gilliam was pregnant when she died. Her obituary remembered her as “Lay,” a generous woman who cared for her family and helped feed people without homes.
The case changed on May 16, 2026, when federal authorities arrested Robinson-Parks in a separate firearm matter. Detectives found gloves inside his backpack. Jackson County prosecutors said the gloves were similar in color and appearance to the fragment recovered from Gilliam’s hair. They did not announce a conclusive physical match. The discovery nevertheless gave investigators a new item to place beside the earlier DNA finding and helped bring renewed attention to the dormant homicide case.
Jackson County filed three charges in June. First-degree murder alleges that Robinson-Parks knowingly killed Gilliam after deliberation. Armed criminal action alleges that he used a deadly weapon to commit the murder. Unlawful possession of a firearm alleges that he possessed a .40-caliber gun despite earlier felony convictions. Prosecutors cited convictions for second-degree involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident involving physical injury.
The delay between the killing and the charges may become part of the defense strategy. Attorneys can examine when each DNA result became available, why an arrest was not made earlier and whether witness memories changed during the two-year period. They can also review how the evidence was packaged, stored and tested. Prosecutors may respond that homicide investigations often develop in stages and that the later federal arrest supplied evidence that strengthened the case.
The public record still leaves the physical movement of the crime largely unexplained. It does not say whether Gilliam was restrained inside a vehicle or in the field. It does not establish whether she was shot where she was found or moved afterward. Authorities have not identified surveillance footage, a recovered gun or a second participant. Those gaps separate what investigators believe happened from what they have disclosed publicly.
Robinson-Parks is presumed innocent. He remains in federal custody and is expected to enter the Jackson County system as the state case proceeds. A judge set bond at $100,000 cash only. His attorneys will be able to seek the full investigative file and challenge the forensic, digital and witness evidence before trial.
The case now returns to the objects gathered in the field. Eight casings establish the scale of the gunfire. The tape and ties show how Gilliam was found. The glove fragment allegedly carries Robinson-Parks’ DNA. The next phase will determine whether those separate pieces can establish one legally complete account of her death.
Author note: Last updated July 12, 2026.