Star Boomer was born on February 16, 1960, and was one of six siblings. She dropped out of Turner High School and married at some point. That marriage produced a son, Cody, in 1995.
By 1999, the marriage had dissolved, and Star was in the process of divorcing her husband. She and her son resided in the 1700 block of S. 49th Street in Kansas City.
Star wanted a better life for herself and Cody. She was studying for the GED exam and dreamed of becoming a florist. However, someone ensured she would never fulfill her dreams.
Night Out Leads to Disappearance
On February 23, 1999, Star and her roommate, Carolyn Marshall, visited the now-defunct Uncle Mike’s Bar (later Jamie’s Place and Nobody’s Business; now an empty lot), 4901 Metropolitan Avenue, near Star’s home. By all accounts, it was a typical dive bar, which likely attracted a rough crowd.
Carolyn claimed a male stranger walked up to Star and threw her off the barstool in an unprovoked attack. She was unharmed and claimed she was “fine.” The bar employees kicked the man out, and Carolyn left Star alone at the bar, intending to pick her up later.
Carolyn called the bar later that day, but someone told her Star had left the bar with two men, which was a lie.
Thirteen witnesses told the police that Star was involved in an altercation with a man who had a history of violent behavior, especially towards women. He knocked Star to the ground, rendering her consciousness.
The witnesses also said that Star never voluntarily left the bar with two men. Instead, the men forced her to leave the premises with them. She has not been seen or heard from since.
Arrest of Two Men
Several months after Star disappeared, Kansas City police arrested William Eugene “Geno” Spradlin and Robert Franklin Horn and charged them with second-degree murder in Star’s case. Both have criminal histories, as shown below, but nothing as serious as murder or kidnapping. According to the Kansas Department of Corrections, Spradlin had no arrests in Kansas after 1979. Horn was later arrested for driving while under the influence.
Unfortunately, police dismissed the murder charges against the men when witnesses in the case refused to testify against the defendants.
Shon Pernice
Shon Pernice was a former war medic and paramedic. His wife, Renee Pernice, 35, vanished and has never been found. Shon admitted to killing her and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2012. However, the police never found Renee’s body. He claimed he pushed her and she died accidentally. He also said that he hit her on the head and she “fell down the stairs.” Then, because this was an accident, don’t ya know, he put her BODY in the trash. Renee was last spotted at her northwest Kansas City, Missouri, home on the 1100 block of 66th Terrace between 9 and 10 AM on January 2, 2009.
Shon and Renee had a rocky marriage. In 2005, Renee filed for divorce but withdrew it two years later. When Shon returned from Iraq, their relationship went downhill again, and Shon and Renee decided to go their separate ways. Shon was supposed to move out of the family home that Renee had bought before they got hitched after finishing his National Guard duties (Good, 2019)
Shon was at Uncle Mike’s Bar on the night Star vanished and helped her with her injuries. He was also the last person seen with her. (Lawless, 2019) He has never admitted involvement in Star’s disappearance. He is now out of prison and wrote an article here.
2019 Police Excavation
In August 2019, Kansas City police spent eight hours digging for clues in an empty lot at 1737 S 49th Street where Star’s home once stood. The house was torn down sometime between 2011 and 2014. She had lived there with her off-and-on-again boyfriend.
Using ground-penetrating sonar, investigators discovered a few anomalies and began digging in that area. However, they did not find Star’s body or clues to her disappearance.
Aftermath
According to The Charley Project, authorities were searching for a possible witness named Edward. While they do not believe he was involved in Star’s case, he may have valuable information. Apparently, Edward used to frequent the Turner section of Kansas City, but he has since relocated out of state.
Star’s parents raised her son after she disappeared. He is now 29 years old and still resides in Kansas.
“The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department are continuing the investigation. Investigators believe several individuals may have knowledge and information to help solve this crime, but witnesses have not yet discovered enough evidence to proceed with an arrest or prosecution.” (KBI)
There is a $5000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for Star’s disappearance and likely murder.
Anyone with information can call the Kansas City Police Department, the Homicide/Robbery Unit at 913-573-6010, or the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at 1-800 KS CRIME (1-800-572-7463).
Sources
Good, Meaghan. “Star Gail Boomer.” The Charley Project. March 21, 2019. https://charleyproject.org/case/star-gail-boomer
Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI). “Governor’s Reward: Star G. Boomer – Victim.” https://www.kansas.gov/kbi/mostwanted/mw_sboomer1.shtml
Lawless, Annette. “Missing in Kansas: Decades-old Mystery of Star Boomer.” KAKE. August 7, 2019. https://www.kake.com/news/missing-in-kansas/missing-in-kansas-decades-old-mystery-of-star-boomer/article_415253ec-80f7-55ce-83a3-932c43d508ef.html