MISSING GRANDMOTHER FOUND INSIDE SUITCASE AT KANSAS FIRE STATION HOURS AFTER SHE VANISHED

LORRETTA MOODY WAS REPORTED MISSING IN THE EARLY HOURS OF SEPTEMBER 16 — BY THAT EVENING, HER BODY HAD BEEN BROUGHT TO A FIRE STATION

A missing grandmother from Wichita, Kansas, was found inside a suitcase that two people brought to a fire station just hours after she was reported missing, prompting a homicide investigation.

Lorretta M. Moody, 68, was reported missing shortly after 1:30 a.m. on September 16, according to reports. Later that same day, at around 6:25 p.m., two people arrived at Wichita Fire Station 22 carrying a suitcase and told firefighters that a body was inside.

Police responded to the station and found Lorretta inside the suitcase. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Wichita Police Department has opened a homicide investigation and is still working to establish exactly what happened to Lorretta, including how she came into the possession of the two people who brought her to the fire station.

SHE HAD BEEN MISSING FOR ONLY HOURS

Lorretta was last seen in the 2400 block of South Mosley Street, less than a mile from the fire station where her body was later discovered.

Her family had described her as being approximately 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 70 pounds or less.

According to information shared by her family, Lorretta had significant mobility and medical difficulties. She could barely walk without assistance and was supposed to use oxygen regularly.

Her family also said that at the time she disappeared, she was not using a walking aid, receiving additional oxygen or taking her medication.

The circumstances surrounding her disappearance remain unclear.

Police have not publicly disclosed how Lorretta left the area where she was last seen or where she was before the suitcase arrived at Fire Station 22.

TWO PEOPLE BROUGHT THE SUITCASE TO THE FIRE STATION

One of the most unusual elements of the investigation is what happened after Lorretta disappeared.

Two unidentified people arrived at Fire Station 22 with the suitcase and alerted firefighters that a body was inside.

Police have interviewed both individuals as detectives attempt to determine their connection to Lorretta.

However, authorities have emphasized that they are not currently suspects.

Wichita Police spokesperson Andrew Ford told The Wichita Eagle that investigators were not describing the pair as persons of interest or suspects.

“They’re just people we are talking to,” he said, according to The Sun.

Their identities have not been publicly released.

Investigators are still trying to determine how the two people came into possession of Lorretta’s body and why they brought the suitcase to the fire station.

POLICE HAVE NOT REVEALED HOW SHE DIED

Authorities have not publicly disclosed Lorretta’s cause of death.

However, police are investigating the case as a homicide based on the circumstances surrounding the discovery.

The Wichita Police Department said detectives were working to establish a timeline, identify other locations connected to the case and locate additional witnesses.

Investigators and crime-scene personnel worked through the night following the discovery, while officers canvassed the surrounding neighborhood for information.

No arrests had been announced in the latest reports.

Police have also said there is currently no information indicating an ongoing threat to the public.

That means investigators are treating the death as a homicide while continuing to determine who may have been responsible and what led to Lorretta’s death.

HER FAMILY IS DEMANDING JUSTICE

As investigators work to reconstruct Lorretta’s final hours, her family has been left grieving a loss they say is difficult to comprehend.

Her granddaughter, Angelyna Moody-Fletcher, shared an emotional tribute on social media.

She remembered the hours-long phone conversations she had with her grandmother and wrote that she would continue speaking about Lorretta and fighting for her.

“I only hope you truly know how cherished and loved you were by us all,” she wrote, according to The Sun.

Lorretta’s sister also paid tribute to her and vowed that the family would continue seeking answers.

“My heart is broken,” she wrote. “We will get justice for you.”

INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

For investigators, several major questions remain unanswered.

How did Lorretta disappear from the area where she was last seen?

Who was responsible for the suitcase?

How did the two people who brought it to the fire station come into possession of her body?

And what happened to Lorretta during the hours between her disappearance and the discovery?

Police have so far released few details, saying that additional information could compromise the investigation.

Anyone with information about the case has been asked to contact Wichita Police Department homicide investigators.

For Lorretta’s family, however, the investigation is about more than reconstructing a timeline.

They are waiting for answers about what happened to a grandmother who, only hours earlier, had been reported missing.

Now, authorities are working to determine how her final hours unfolded — and who may ultimately be held responsible for her death.