RAYTOWN, Mo. — As families prepare to gather around the holiday table, one Kansas City mom is reminded of the vacancy that now fills her home.

It’s been eight years since 21-year-old Brandon Herring disappeared and was found dead two months later in a nearby park.

“I fight every day for accountability and responsibility for my son,” Rhonda Herring said. “How am I? I’m living this journey in the best possible way. This is who I am.”

It was Thanksgiving 2016 when her life was changed by the absence of her youngest child.

“I shed tears daily and I think that’s my strength and it releases tension,” Herring said.

Brandon Herring was last seen at what was once known as the Park Meadows apartment.

After weeks of searching, his remains were found in January at Swope Park, just two miles down the road.

Hering is just one of hundreds of unsolved homicide cases in Kansas City.

“I just want answers,” Rhonda Herring said. “I want accountability and justice. That’s what I want; that’s what we all want. Any family with an unsolved crime wants accountability and justice, and I don’t think that means much for the lives of their loved ones.”

Rhonda Herring now fills her time helping the community while spending time with her grandson King Joseph, Brandon’s only son.

“I know he’s watching over me too,” she said. “This gives me strength and I want to continue.”

In memory of Brandon “Mac Bear” Herring, his family holds the annual balloon release. It will be held at 8809 East 85th Terrace Kansas City, Missouri beginning Friday at noon.

“We have to work together, stick together, respect each other,” she said. “It’s easy to say, ‘What is hard to do to take that pain and turn it into strength,'” Herring said.

According to the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, Herring’s case remains open. If you have information, you can contact KCPD at 816-474-TIPS.
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KSHB 41 reporter Marlon Martinez covers Missouri’s Platte and Clay counties. Share your story idea with Marlon.