INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Charges have been filed against a Kansas City man, Charles Smith-Howell, in connection with the murder of his former girlfriend, Ebony Duncan, in September 2023. Smith-Howell faces charges including second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, armed criminal action, abandoning a corpse, and unlawful use of a weapon.
Ebony Duncan mysteriously vanished on September 6 after she was last seen leaving her employment at a local nursing home around 6 p.m. Surveillance footage captured Duncan speaking on her cell phone before entering a silver Chrysler 200, which then drove away. This was the last time she was seen alive. The following day, concern escalated when Duncan failed to arrive at work, prompting her family and coworkers to report her missing.
Investigations intensified when it was discovered through cell phone records that Duncan’s phone had been in communication with a number associated with Smith-Howell at the time of her disappearance. Further investigations revealed that the silver Chrysler belonged to Smith-Howell’s new girlfriend, who resembled the vehicle seen in the surveillance video.
Weeks later, on October 31, Duncan’s body was found in a wooded area near 83rd and Hillcrest in south Kansas City, Missouri. An autopsy confirmed she had been fatally shot.
Authorities pieced together additional evidence linking Smith-Howell to the crime. DNA testing confirmed that blood found in a car he had driven matched Duncan’s. Moreover, both Duncan and Smith-Howell’s cell phone records indicated they traveled together on Interstate 70 from Independence to Jackson County around the time Duncan was last seen.
In the ensuing investigation, Smith-Howell was closely monitored by police. He was later found driving a Buick Encore, not his usual vehicle, leading to his arrest and questioning on September 14. A search warrant executed on this vehicle uncovered ammunition and the license plate for the silver Chrysler, solidifying his connection to Duncan’s disappearance.
On September 21, detectives located the silver Chrysler hidden under a tarp in the backyard of a residence known to be associated with Smith-Howell. A forensic examination revealed Duncan’s blood on the interior door handle of the driver’s side.
Further complicating the narrative, Smith-Howell’s girlfriend was eventually located and interviewed in Tampa, Florida. She disclosed that they were intimately involved and that Smith-Howell had access to her car on the day Duncan disappeared. She recounted that he returned the vehicle later that evening, claiming he needed to “make a run,” and subsequently told her he had to lay low and could not remain at her house.
The day Duncan vanished, cell phone tracking placed Duncan and Smith-Howell at the location where Duncan’s body was later discovered, between 7:46 p.m. and 7:53 p.m., according to court records.
As the case progresses, Smith-Howell remains detained at the Caldwell County Detention Center, where he awaits trial on multiple charges, reflecting the gravity of a case that has gripped the local community with its tragic details and complex relationships.