KCK police: Additional charges filed in boy's death

By Roger Sims

Linn County Journal

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department posted on social media on Monday, Dec. 29, that Damon Leonard, a rural Pleasanton man, faces additional charges on both sides of the state line in the death of 13-year-old Airen Andula.

Airen Andula

Airen, who lived with his family in the Holiday Lakes development east of Pleasanton, was last seen alive on Sunday morning, Dec. 21, when he went to feed a neighbor’s dog. When he hadn’t returned home by that evening, an intensive search was initiated by the Linn County Sheriff's Office that included county firefighters and members of other law enforcement agencies.

According to authorities, Leonard contacted the Bates County, Mo., Sheriff's Office on Monday, Dec. 22, to notify them that Airen was dead. He lead them to the boy’s body, which was in a creek ravine in rural Bates County.

“Detectives with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department have announced that additional charges have been filed against Damon Leonard, 47, of Pleasanton, in connection with the death of his 13-year-old neighbor, Airen Andula,” the social media post read.

“Leonard was originally charged in Bates County, Mo. with abandonment of a corpse related to the boy's death,” the statement continued. “KCKPD detectives have now filed further charges in Linn County, Kan. including interference with law enforcement, criminal desecration, and having a vicious dog at large. Multiple dogs were also seized from his property. The investigation remains ongoing, with the potential for additional charges being filed.”

The KCK police department took over the investigation shortly after the boy’s body was recovered to avoid the results of the investigation being seen as tainted by a conflict of interest with the Linn County Sheriff's Office. Leonard is related to former Linn County Sheriff Kevin Friend, who resigned his post in September 2024 to become an investigator for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Linn County Sheriff James Akes and many of the current deputies worked under Friend.

The KCK police department ordered an autopsy, but as of Tuesday morning had not released the official cause of death.

While no official announcements have been made on the cause of Airen’s death, the family has indicated in interviews and social media that the cause of death was a dog attack.

The incident has sparked an intense debate about social media. In a follow-up post to its announcement, the KCKPD included this post:

“We understand the emotions and outrage this crime is eliciting. At the same time, we cannot allow comments that suggest and encourage violent actions. Please, be advised that comments using profanity or encouraging acts of violence will be hidden from public view. Rest assured, our detectives are diligently working so that the individual(s) responsible for Airen’s death may be prosecuted at the highest level based on Kansas law.”