Kansas City, Missouri law enforcement officials are currently investigating a tragic incident involving a well-respected family with ties to both Missouri and North Carolina. The incident, which occurred on Monday, was a double murder-suicide involving 38-year-old Domonique A. McGeachy, her husband Jerel McGeachy, also 38, and their 12-year-old son, Jerel McGeachy Jr.
Authorities were alerted to the situation when Domonique failed to report to work, prompting a welfare check at the family’s residence. Upon entering the home, officers discovered the bodies of the McGeachy family. Preliminary investigations suggest that Jerel McGeachy Sr. fatally shot his wife and son before taking his own life. The motive behind this tragic event remains undisclosed.
The McGeachy family was well-regarded in their communities in both North Carolina and Missouri. Prior to their relocation to Missouri, they resided in the Fayetteville area of North Carolina. Young Jerel was particularly known for his ability to recite speeches by Martin Luther King Jr., even at a tender age. His talents earned him the title of Knight of the Year in 2020 by the North Carolina chapter of the Knights of Pythagoras, a service group, when he was just nine years old.
Domonique McGeachy, in an interview following her son’s award, described him as a curious and special child who kept the family engaged with his constant thirst for knowledge. After the family’s move to Kansas City, Jerel continued to impress, delivering King’s “I’ve been to the Mountain Top” speech at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in Wichita, Kansas.
Jerel’s principal at Congress Middle School, Ryan Smith, remembered him as a bright student who had skipped a grade and aspired to become an attorney general. He was also a member of the school band, playing the trumpet, and was scheduled to speak at the eighth-grade celebration at the end of the school year.
Domonique McGeachy, a seven-year veteran of the U.S. Army, worked as a nurse and was recognized as a pandemic hero by Raleigh ABC affiliate WTVD. Jerel McGeachy Sr., an educational aid for special needs students at the Fort Brag school system, was named to the Fayetteville Observer’s 40 under 40 list in 2021. He credited his son’s positive community involvement as a driving force behind his own success.