Mother of Two Found Dead Under Kansas Bridge After Reported Missing

A 24-year-old mother of two, Monica Rivera, was found dead under a bridge in Kansas City, Kansas, on Friday, October 23, after she had been reported missing. The Kansas City Police Department responded to a report of a deceased person in an industrial area around 9:45 a.m. Rivera's body was discovered north of Southwest Boulevard and beneath the 7th Street Trafficway Bridge.

Authorities are considering the possibility that a "structural quirk" in the bridge contributed to her death. Police spokesperson Nancy Chartrand explained to The Kansas City Star that while the bridge appears as a continuous deck, there is a gap between sections. "If you were trying to go from one side to the other, you could possibly fall," she said.

Rivera's aunt, Cassie Bennett, has started a petition calling for the city to address the gap in the bridge to prevent future accidents. "This fatal accident could have been avoided if the city had taken timely action to ensure the safety of its citizens," Bennett stated. She added that the gap symbolizes a failure in maintaining safety standards and that "it took the unimaginable loss of my niece to highlight this pressing safety concern."

Rivera was last seen the night she went missing. A close friend, Madison Nolan, posted on social media that Rivera was let out of a car on Southwest Boulevard, not far from her home, and expressed concern that her friend did not have her phone. "I don't know where she's at. I know she was let out of a car on Southwest Boulevard and it doesn't take long to get to her house from there. Something isn't right, she doesn't have her phone," Nolan wrote.

A roadside memorial has been set up under the Seventh Street Trafficway Bridge where Rivera was found. The exact circumstances surrounding Rivera's death remain under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit. Police are urging anyone with information to call 816-474-8477. Tips can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.