Mom spends another Mother’s Day at murdered son’s ‘spot’
Four years have passed since 17-year-old Jesus Jace Abarca was fatally shot inside the Kansas City, Kansas, home he shared with his mother, Jenna Stallard. Mother’s Day hasn’t been the same joyous occasion it once was for her.
How could it be? He was Stallard’s only child. She refers to her son as Jace.
“I liked calling him Mijo,” she said of the Spanish translation for “my son.”
The fourth anniversary of Jace’s death is May 18. Investigators have identified suspects. But because of a lack of evidence, the homicide remains unsolved, according to law enforcement officials in KCK. Stallard won’t stop sharing Jace’s story until those involved in the killing are brought to justice.
“He was my best friend,” Stallard told me during a recent sit down at Kinship Cafe in Kansas City, Kansas.
Far too often, we hear only about murder victims and their deaths. Rarely do we gain insight into their gifts. I wanted to know more about Jace and how he lived. I asked Stallard about Jace’s personality and what he was like.
She beamed with pride as only a mother could as she recounted some of her fondest memories of her son. She cried, too. More than once.
Jace was funny and loved music, Stallard told me. He was an aspiring hip-hop artist with a love for math. Jace was smart, Stallard said. In high school, he studied subjects like trigonometry, psychology and architecture, she said.
Like a typical teen, Jace downplayed his intelligence sometimes to fit in with the kids in the cool crowd, his mom said.
He was not a thug nor a criminal, as some people like to portray minority youths in Wyandotte County, Stallard said. Jace was a fun-loving teen who planned to attend community college before his life was tragically taken. He did not deserve to be gunned down in an upstairs bedroom inside the family’s home, she said.
“I miss him so much,” Stallard said.
CAREER DREAMS
There’s something familiar about Jace’s eyes — they’re big, blue, warm and inviting. In the pictures his mother shared with me, his smile radiates off the computer screen. He has a slight mustache above his upper lip — peach fuzz, it’s called.
As parents, Stallard and I share a similar story. My son was shot and killed in north St. Louis in 2009 at age 16. Nearly 15 years later, his homicide remains unsolved. I’d tell anyone who’d listen about the joy my child brought to my life, I told her.
When she first described her son, I couldn’t help but relate to the agony of losing a child. Jace dreamed of being a mechanical engineer, Stallard said. He was a high school senior when COVID-19 sent students home for the remainder of the school year to learn virtually. He graduated as part of the 2020 class. Less than a week before a graduation ceremony at Boulevard Drive-In, someone fatally shot Jace inside the family’s home.
Unlike his fellow classmates, Jace never got an opportunity to don a cap and gown as he walked
the stage to receive his diploma.
NO CHARGES YET
The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department identified suspects, according to Stallard. A case file was turned over to Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree’s office. Unfortunately, with a lack of evidence, Dupree has so far declined to pursue criminal charges, according to Jonathan Carter, a spokesman for the DA’s office.
Because the case remains open, law enforcement officials have told Stallard not to discuss details of what occurred that night inside the family’s home in the 1100 block of Metropolitan Avenue in KCK.
She did share with me email correspondence she had with Dupree. To his credit, the DA tried to reassure Stallard that if more evidence became available, he’d bring charges against Jace’s assailants.
“Please know I truly believe that KCKPD are doing everything in their power to bring about justice, and know that this office will do the best that we can to assist, based on the evidence and the law,” Dupree wrote in an email he sent Stallard in January. “There are no limitations on when we can bring a murder case to the courts. We have prosecuted murder cases that were more than 25 years old, successfully. When we have evidence that can prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt we will move forward. Because the case is part of an ongoing investigation I cannot speak about the particulars, but KCKPD is doing its best and so is this office. We hope to bring justice to you and your family.”
ANNUAL VISIT
Sunday marked the fourth Mother’s Day since Jace died. Stallard has established a routine since. She visited Jace’s resting place at Maple Hill Cemetery in KCK. Stallard’s dog, Rufus, who helps her cope with Jace’s death, was there.
Stallard isn’t fond of the term grave site.
“I go visit my son’s spot and talk to him and bring him flowers,” Stallard said. “Then I usually just hide myself away from the world because of the hurt. I do look at the last card my son gave me on the last Mother’s Day I had with him. It explains his funny personality so much.”
She sent me a photo of that card. It read: “Hey Mom — If I had an extra $1,000, you’d get more from me than just a Mother’s Day card.”
How thoughtful (and funny), I thought.
My hope for writing this column is that someone who has information about Jace’s death comes forward. As with any homicide, every small detail matters. Someone knows who killed her son, Stallard said.
“He was such a goodhearted kid,” she said. “He didn’t deserve this.”