KANSAS CITY—The seven month search for a suspect charged in the murder of an 18-year-old woman is over.
On Monday, police reported 29-year-old Eric Phillips was taken into custody in Independence, Missouri, according to a media release. Phillips was wanted in connection with the November murder of Elayjah Murray in Independence.
In December, the Jackson County prosecutor charged Phillips with First Degree Murder, Armed Criminal Action, and Abandonment of a Corpse.
According to court records, Kansas City police received a call on November 28, 2025, reporting that the 18-year-old victim identified as Murray had been shot multiple times in a vehicle at a location in Independence earlier that morning. Detectives began using investigative leads to locate the vehicle.
Due to the circumstances, the victim was entered as a missing person in Independence.
Through multiple witness reports and surveillance footage, detectives identified Phillips as the shooter. Detectives determined he shot the victim multiple times while she was in the back of his vehicle in the early morning hours of Nov. 28. Ring camera footage captured the sound of gunshots coming from the location of his vehicle where it had been reported the shooting had occurred, and Phillips was seen in video footage multiple times carrying a firearm.
On November 29, police found Murray deceased in Kansas City. Phillips' cell phone pinged in the area where the victim’s body was located.
A Jackson County judge set Phillips’s bond at $350,000 cash only.
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KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a missing persons case say it is now a homicide investigation.
The victim, according to Independence police, Elayjah Murray, was reported missing on Nov. 28. Police learned Murray had possibly been shot. He was found dead in South Kansas City, Missouri on Saturday.
Police want to speak with 28-year-old Eric Phillips II in connection with the homicide investigation.