Public Safety · Kansas City, KS
Kansas City Mom Found Dead Under 7th Street Bridge; Gap Raises Safety Concern
Police identified a body found around 9:45 a.m. Friday under the 7th Street Bridge near Southwest Boulevard in Kansas City, Kansas, as Monica Rivera, a 24-year-old mother of two and Wyandotte County resident. Rivera was last seen early Friday morning walking north on 7th Street and reported missing that afternoon. Agency spokesperson Nancy Chartrand said preliminary investigations indicate the death was "a tragic accident," pointing to a narrow gap between the bridge's north and south lanes where a pedestrian could fall. Rivera's aunt launched a petition to close the gap, gathering 270 signatures in three hours, and loved ones held a candlelight vigil under the bridge Sunday night.