Author

Vaughan W. Harrison

he/him/his

Vaughan W. Harrison is a senior investigative reporter & photographer with The Kansas City Defender. His reporting traces the systemic failures that shape Black life in his hometown, particularly the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Black women and children, and the cases the city has tried to bury. He is the creator of the upcoming podcast Fountain City Files, an investigative podcast on overlooked and unresolved cases across the region.

Vaughan's Latest Articles

THE HEADLINES CALLED HER PRECIOUS DOE. HER NAME WAS ERICA GREEN.

By Vaughan Harrison ● MISSING BLACK PERSONS ● April 28, 2026

Twenty-five years after the body of a three-year-old girl was found at 59th & Kensington, Kansas City is still learning how to say her name.

Before the System Believes You

By Mili Mansaray & Vaughan Harrison ● MISSING BLACK PERSONS ● April 1, 2026

For Black women and girls in Kansas City, the struggle to be found often begins with having to be believed.

The First Black Pickleball Club in Kansas City is Really About Belonging

By Vaughan Harrison ● Sports ● October 24, 2025

At a suburban athletic facility in Independence, MO, a KCK firefighter turned a simple TikTok into a laboratory for joy, safety, and a new kind of public life.

A close-up of the intersection sign for Prospective Ave and E 10th St.

New KC Podcast: Crisis of Missing Black Women, a White Supremacist Serial Killer, and What Comes Next

By Mili Mansaray & Vaughan Harrison ● MISSING BLACK PERSONS ● September 12, 2025

Less than a month after KCPD dismissed Black community warnings, a 22-year-old escaped a serial killer’s basement torture dungeon. The Fountain City Files x Defender’s new podcast follows that break in the case, the epidemic of missing Black women, and how our communities are fighting for justice.

Racist Alleged “Serial Killer” Timothy Haslett Jr. Enters Plea of Not Guilty in First Murder Charges

By Vaughan Harrison ● Justice ● July 12, 2024

Timothy Haslett, an alleged serial killer, faces murder charges, now linked to two victims with police admitting more likely exist.

KC Toyota Office Under Major Fire After Serving Only Watermelon on Juneteenth, Even After Employees Said It Wasn’t A Good Idea

By Ryan S. & Vaughan Harrison ● Racism Exposed ● June 27, 2023

According to a Toyota Parts Distribution Center employee, the Juneteenth event planning fell under the responsibility of the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) committee, consisting entirely of white men.

“Black Neurodiversity: Breaking Systemic Biases”

By Vaughan Harrison ● Health & Wellness ● June 16, 2023

Understanding the intersectionality of neurodivergence and the Black experience is crucial in recognizing the often ignored challenges faced by Black neurodivergent individuals. Dr. Nora Ekeanya, a distinguished Black author and psychiatrist, highlights these disparities.