STORY: Thirty years later, daughter searches for answers about father's death," by KMBC News]s 9 Investigative Reporter Matt Flener on November 2, 2021.
GIST: "Tanya Clemens-Holdsworth visits her father's gravesite at the Pleasant Ridge cemetery often. Yet, she still does not know the exact circumstances surrounding his death.
"What happened to him has always been one of those things that has kind of ate at me because I never really knew," she said.
In a small town of 1,600, questions about Darrin Clemens' death have remained for years:
- Why did the 23-year-old die from a shotgun blast on April 4, 1991?
- Why did authorities find his shotgun near his body early in the morning in his front yard in the 600 block of Fourth Street?
- Who may know something more?
"He's not here to give himself a voice," Clemens-Holdsworth said. "So, I want to be his voice.”
30-YEAR-OLD CASE REEXAMINED:
Clemens-Holdsworth was seven and a half months old at the time her dad died. She recently asked Weston police to reopen the investigation into her father's death. She even created a Facebook group to help bring awareness and has asked Project: Cold Case for help.
She has seen the newspaper articles showing Clemens left a bar in Leavenworth with friends when it closed for the night. The group had discussed going to White Bridge, a party site off Bluff Road, but decided not to make the trip. Friends told police they dropped Clemens off at home around 2:30 a.m. A neighbor found Clemens dead a little after 7 a.m.
An autopsy found Clemens died from a single shotgun blast to the chest not more than four hours before he was found. Kansas City's Metro Squad investigated. But 30 years later, no one has answers if the shooting was accidental, a suicide or a murder.
"We're not guaranteed tomorrow," Clemens-Holdsworth said. "I don't want to die not knowing what happened to him at all. That is my worst nightmare.”
WESTON POLICE REOPEN CASE FILE:
Weston Police Chief Kelly Clark said the department is still looking for tips in the case, hoping to bring closure to Clemens' family.
"She wants facts," Clark said about Clemens-Holdsworth.
Clark took over the department in September 2020. He said the department recently received new information from some not involved in the original investigation. They're still following up.
Clark also said two of the possible suspects in the case have died.
"There's a lot of people that still live here that lived here at that point in time, they probably do know something that has always just not sat right in their mind," Clark said.
Meanwhile, Clemens-Holdsworth often thinks about what could have been.
"I would've loved for my children to have a grandpa, you know, they ask about him,'' she said.
Clemens-Holdsworth kept her father's last name when she got married. Having his last name feels like the one thing still connecting him to her.
"One thing he gave me that no one can take away," she said.
She is now more committed than ever to knowing what happened to her father.
"I'm not going to stop until something's ruled in this case," she said. "Hopefully, eventually, it will result in getting justice."
The Weston police chief has asked the Missouri attorney general's Cold Case Unit for help, too.
Do you know anything about Darrin Clemens' death? If so, you can report an anonymous tip to Crimestoppers at 816-474-8477.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
