The discovery came more than a week after highway shootings killed one person and injured four others.
KANSAS CITY, MO — Police said a body found Wednesday in the basement of an Independence home is believed to be Oscar Sanchez-Munoz, the suspect in a string of Kansas City highway shootings that left one person dead.
Kansas City police said the discovery may bring a close to a weeklong search that drew local, state and federal law enforcement. Sanchez-Munoz, 22, had been wanted after shootings along Interstate 70 and Interstate 670 on June 16. Police said the body was found at a home tied to him after family members returned to clean debris from a fire.
Capt. Jake Becchina, a spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department, said officers were contacted around 2 p.m. Wednesday after relatives found human remains in the basement of a home in the 700 block of South Brookside Avenue in Independence. The family had been clearing debris from a fire that broke out during the earlier police response. Becchina said the body was found beneath a heavy pile of debris and was wearing clothing that matched what Sanchez-Munoz had been seen wearing during the standoff. “This home was very thoroughly searched,” Becchina said, while also acknowledging the discovery raised clear questions.
The home had been the focus of a police operation after the June 16 shootings. Officers believed Sanchez-Munoz had barricaded himself inside the house, including in the basement, before a fire broke out. Police and fire crews later searched the damaged structure, but Becchina said the basement had been filled with water, fire debris, furniture and other clutter. He said parts of the home were hard to reach, and the body was not visible during the first search. Investigators had used multiple resources during that first response, including search teams and dogs, but did not find Sanchez-Munoz at the time.
The June 16 shootings happened across several locations in Kansas City, mostly along I-70 and I-670. Police said vehicles were struck by gunfire during the evening, including an Uber carrying Argentina soccer fans headed to a World Cup match. One person was killed after being shot and crashing near Truman Road and Bennington Avenue. Authorities identified the man who died as Jeremy Keenan. Four others were injured, including an Uber driver shot in the leg. Police have said the injured victims were expected to survive, though at least one person had been reported in serious condition during the early part of the investigation.
Sanchez-Munoz was also wanted in connection with an earlier shooting in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Authorities said that case involved gunfire at a vehicle on June 11 and led to an aggravated assault warrant. After the Kansas City highway shootings, the FBI joined the search and offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction. Police had warned the public that Sanchez-Munoz should be considered armed and dangerous while investigators searched for him across the region and beyond.
The discovery of the body shifted the case from a manhunt to a death investigation. Police said the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office would work to confirm the identity of the remains and determine the cause and manner of death. Becchina said detectives were operating under the belief that the body was Sanchez-Munoz because of where it was found, the clothing and the earlier police contact at the home. Officials had not announced a confirmed cause of death by Thursday. The cause of the house fire also remained under investigation.
The case has left families, neighbors and police with different questions. Some neighbors said they were relieved the search appeared to be over. Others questioned how a body could be missed in a home that officers had already searched. Becchina said the basement conditions were unusual and difficult. He described the debris as among the heaviest he had seen in his career and said the body had been hidden under piles of material. Police also said there had been several feet of water in the basement after firefighters put out the flames.
Relatives of Sanchez-Munoz had returned to the home more than once after the fire, police said. On Wednesday, a family member noticed an odor while cleaning and found the remains. The discovery brought officers back to the home, where detectives processed the scene and removed debris. For the families of the people shot on the highway, the development did not change the damage already done. Keenan’s death remained the most severe outcome of the attacks, while the other victims continued to recover from physical injuries and the shock of being fired on while driving.
As of Thursday, police said the remains had not been formally identified in a public announcement. The next major step is the medical examiner’s finding on identity and cause of death, followed by any further police update on the shootings, the fire and the earlier search of the home.
Author note: Last updated June 25, 2026.