Ilana Arougheti

2 days ago | kansascity.com | Mike Hendricks |Ilana Arougheti

Hours after he was arrested and booked on domestic violence charges, Jackson County Legislator Manuel "Manny" Abarca IV issued his first public statement on the situation that put him on the missing persons list for several days. "This is a matter of current litigation, so, unfortunately, there is not much I can say about this case at this time," Abarca wrote in an email sent to the news media shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday.

3 days ago | kansascity.com | Mike Hendricks |Ilana Arougheti

Jackson County Legislator Manuel "Manny" Abarca IV was served late Friday afternoon with a protection order that his wife sought through circuit court earlier in the day, court documents show. An "adult abuse hearing" is set for next Monday morning before Judge Mary F. Weir in a courtroom five floors above the legislative chamber where later that afternoon Abarca is set to cast votes on county matters as a member of the county's chief governing body.

4 days ago | kansascity.com | Mike Hendricks |Ilana Arougheti

Screenshot of photo Alexis Garcia shared publicly on Facebook on Sunday, June 1 of herself and her son Luca, who she says has been missing for five days. Five days after she last saw her 2-year-old son, the wife of Jackson County legislator Manuel "Manny" Abarca IV pleaded for evidence that he was safe and would be coming home soon. "I am just desperate for my son," Alexis Garcia Abarca said in a text message to The Star Monday evening.

4 days ago | kansascity.com | Ilana Arougheti |Mike Hendricks

Jackson County legislator Manuel "Manny" Abarca IV was reported missing over the weekend along with his youngest child. Abarca's wife, Alexis Garcia, wrote on Facebook Sunday night that her husband and 2-year-old son Manuel Abarca V were missing and that she had not seen the child, known as Luca, since Wednesday evening. Garcia wrote that Luca was sick and did not have access to medication. She also described herself as the "preferred and primary caregiver" for both children she shares with Abarca.

2 weeks ago | kansascity.com | Ilana Arougheti

Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson shares the successes and shortcomings of one year of the Save KC program at a news conference on April 4, 2025. The Kansas City Star As the Jackson County Legislature continues to debate which county services should be funded in an emergency capacity without an approved 2025 budget, the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office says several of its proposals have been effectively disabled by the legislature's refusal to vote on their passage.