Kaniah Jennings, 18, was found dead in rural Pemiscot County, Missouri, 10 days after she was last seen on Nov. 3. Prosecutors have charged Kennan Peoples with first-degree murder and charged Blake Patrick and Donald Peoples Jr. with murder-related and other counts, including alleged kidnapping and rape. Redacted text messages between two suspects are cited in court documents and may refer to the incident. Friends, family and the community have created a Facebook page and a GoFundMe as the investigation and legal process continue.
Teen Found Dead After Alleged Kidnapping and Rape — Chilling Texts May Reveal Final Moments
Kaniah Jennings, 18, was found dead in rural Pemiscot County, Missouri, 10 days after she was last seen on Nov. 3. Prosecutors have charged Kennan Peoples with first-degree murder and charged Blake Patrick and Donald Peoples Jr. with murder-related and other counts, including alleged kidnapping and rape. Redacted text messages between two suspects are cited in court documents and may refer to the incident. Friends, family and the community have created a Facebook page and a GoFundMe as the investigation and legal process continue.
10:18 PM, 11/17/2025Society
Overview
Kaniah Jennings, an 18-year-old senior from Portageville, Missouri, was last seen on Nov. 3 and reported missing on Nov. 7, the Hayti Police Department said. Investigators located her body in rural Pemiscot County on Nov. 14. The details below summarize allegations from court filings and a redacted probable cause statement; the suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Allegations and charges
Prosecutors have charged 34-year-old Kennan (sometimes spelled "Keenan") Peoples with first-degree murder. Eighteen-year-old Blake Patrick and 38-year-old Donald Peoples Jr. face charges that include accessory to first-degree murder. Kennan and Patrick are also charged with kidnapping and rape; Patrick faces additional counts, including tampering with a motor vehicle, theft and stealing a firearm. Kennan and Donald are charged with tampering with physical evidence. Online court records show Donald has pleaded not guilty; other plea information was not immediately available.
Alleged timeline and reported evidence
Court documents say Jennings was picked up from her Portageville home on Nov. 3 by Kennan and Patrick. According to a probable cause statement obtained by PEOPLE, Patrick told police that both he and Kennan had sex with Jennings, that Kennan "placed socks in Jennings' mouth," and that she had been bound with a blanket placed over her head. These details are allegations contained in the police filing.
The redacted probable cause statement also includes alleged text messages between Kennan and Donald from the evening of Nov. 3 that investigators believe refer to Jennings. The messages purportedly include lines such as:
"take your sweet time getting home — playing with a woman tonight"
Donald allegedly replied, "Do your thang," and later asked about "the white boy." Kennan is then reported to have written, "It’s a group effort."
Community response and family support
Friends, family and community members launched an intensive search and created a Facebook page titled "Justice for Kaniah Jennings" to share updates and honor her memory. Her father set up a GoFundMe to help cover funeral and memorial expenses, saying the family has been "shattered" and hopes to give her a dignified farewell.
Resources and reporting notes
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, you can reach the Crisis Text Line by texting STRENGTH to 741-741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. Authorities ask anyone with information about the case to contact the Hayti Police Department or the Pemiscot County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
This article is based on police statements, a redacted probable cause statement and reporting by PEOPLE. Allegations in court documents have not been proven; all defendants are entitled to due process.