Kansas City police believe they found the body of the gunman suspected of killing one person in a series of highway shootings inside the burned basement of a family member’s home on Wednesday, where police searched days earlier.
Oscar Sanchez-Munoz, 22, was wanted for allegedly shooting at a motor vehicle on June 11 in Wyandotte County, Kans., and had an outstanding warrant in the same county for aggravated assault, which carries a $100,000 bond, according to the FBI.
He was also the prime suspect in five shootings on June 16 along Interstate 70 in Kansas City, Mo, just miles from Arrowhead Stadium, where several FIFA World Cup matches were being held.
Police said that Sanchez-Munoz’s family members found a body on Wednesday in the basement of the Independence, Mo., home.
The body was wearing clothes matching those of Sanchez-Munoz, who police believed had initially escaped during a fire that broke out amid the June 16 standoff, said Kansas City Police Capt. Jake Becchina, according to KMBC.
Law enforcement had searched the home during the post-standoff investigation, but the basement — flooded with water after the fire and cluttered with furniture and junk — was nearly impossible to search thoroughly.
“At the end of the fire, there were several feet of water inside the basement, that night and into the next day,” Becchina said, calling it “one of the most congested basements” he’s seen in his police career.
“There was enough debris in there that you can not stand up. Piles. It was piles of things.”
He also noted that the stairwell leading into the basement had collapsed in the blaze, and that investigators needed to “jump” down to search.
The family had returned to the home several times since the standoff and fire, and it was while sifting through piles of debris that they noticed the smell of decomposition, leading them to the remains before contacting police, Becchina said.
He added that the body was out of view, under the clutter and it took a “significant amount” of manpower to clear the debris off the body.
Homicide detectives and the Jackson County Medical Examiner are now conducting a death investigation to confirm it is Sanchez-Munoz’s body and cause of death.
The investigations remain ongoing.
Sanchez-Munoz’s shooting spree left one person dead — Jeremy Keenan, who died after being shot and crashing his car into a pole — and left another with serious injuries, News Nation reported.
Multiple other victims, including an Uber driver shot in the leg while taking fans to the World Cup match between Argentina and Algeria, are expected to recover.
Following the shootings, police reportedly tracked Sanchez-Munoz to his family’s home in Independence, where an hours-long standoff ensued before the house caught fire.
Police initially believed Sanchez-Munoz had escaped during the blaze, sparking a nationwide manhunt led by the FBI’s Kansas City field office, which offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
Sanchez-Munoz’s mother and stepfather told NewsNation that their son had recently exhibited signs of a mental health issue, with his mother saying she believed it might be schizophrenia.
His mother said they attempted to have him admitted to a mental health facility, but he would not voluntarily admit himself.
Keenan’s mother said her son’s death has shattered her, but said she understands his alleged killer was struggling with mental health issues.
“Hopefully it brings a light to mental health,” Debra Keenan told the outlet. “Someone like this isn’t in the right frame of mind. That doesn’t make it right to do what he did, but hopefully they can get help.”