Photo: Getty Images
A Kansas City, Missouri family is seeking answers after their loved one was found dead the day after going on a date with a white man.
Twenty-nine year-old Asia Maynard was last heard from earlier this month by her sister, Tera Maynard, whom she was supposed to visit.
"She called me Friday at 10:300 or 11:00 and said, 'Hey, I met a new friend. I'm going on a date, I'll come by tomorrow,'" Tera told Fox News 4. Asia's family never heard from her again after that.
"After Friday she never called. She never showed up, and that's not like her. So, another day goes by. I said, something's not right. It's not sitting right with my spirit," Tera said.
Tera told the news outlet she called police to file a missing persons report but was told that Asia was probably fine and that they would reach back out. Only, Tera would soon learn that the authorities already knew about Asia's death and they were never contacted.
"Saturday morning they found my sister deceased," Tera said. The family said the man she'd gone on a date with called police to report that she had died. What police told them next broke their hearts and raised questions.
"We're going to say that she died of natural causes because there was no foul play," Tera said police told the family. "I feel like they are rushing the investigation."
Asia's family say the mother of four was health and strong. "She's only 29. You're not dying of natural causes at 29," her mother Denise Maynard told the outlet.
KCPD is reportedly investigating Asia's passing as a death investigation not a homicide. Her aunt, Rhonda Turner said they "want justice done if did it."
"We want people to listen to us," Turner said.
Details of Asia's passing are tragically similar to the deaths of Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Rawls of Bridgeport, Connecticut who were both found dead on the same day in December after going on dates.
Their families each said police failed to properly notify them of their loved ones' deaths and in the case of Smith-Fields' death, the family said police were initially not investigating the man the 23-year-old had seen hours before her death.
Reading about Black trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.