Kaiden was shot in the home of his girlfriend, on South Starr Street in El Dorado, Kansas on April 29, 2020.
The home directly to the south was no longer being lived in, but the owner had some belongings inside, including a gun(s). We are still unsure how many guns due to lack of transparency from the police department.
Earlier this year, the Butler County Attorney considered filing charges on the teens who broke into the home, which led to the theft of the gun that killed Kaiden.
With much disappointment and anger, sadness, frustration and sheer bewilderment - we must announce that the county attorney will NOT be filing charges for the break-in and theft. They were juveniles at the time, the county claims as their excuse for this miscarry of justice. BUT Kaiden was a juvenile, too! He was 14-years-old.
Recap of the case:
14-year-old Kaiden Smith was shot in the right rear side of his head with a handgun while at a girlfriend's house, with several other teens present. 911 was called and it was reported as a suicide by the caller. The same person hid the gun about 10 feet away from wherever it was, and under some trash/clothes. Police arrived and assumed it was a suicide based on what a child said, he was 14, too. There were no gun shot residue tests, no photos taken of two of the teens who had Kaiden's blood on their hands. They were allowed to wash their hands in the home. No photos of Kaiden lying atop the stairs. No crime scene. No investigation. Possessions of Kaiden's such as his backpack were removed by the teens present and police didn't consider it evidence even after Kaiden's mother retrieved it and took it to police. Screenshots and time stamped social media posts show a variety of stories of what happened. He was murdered, claimed the kid who hid the gun and called 911. More stories arose, each one more confusing and inaccurate. Looking at the autopsy report, our work paid off and the manner of death was changed from "Unknown" to Homicide. Research on the case has proven Kaiden was left-handed and the shot that killed him was fired from a right handed shooter. It also proves the shot was fired from more than 2 feet away - impossible for one to do on his own. Also, the owner of the home that was broken into and who had their items stolen and used in a death was never contacted by officials. They learned of the case from friends.
We MUST get justice for this young man, whose family suffers daily due to the loss. 

We want an outside agency - not El Dorado, Kansas Police, to investigate Kaiden's homicide.