Hit-and-run victim’s family offers reward to help solve his KC Northland killing

The family of a 30-year-old Clay County man is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the driver who struck and killed him in late July, a spokeswoman for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office announced.

John Paul Scheidecker was struck and killed shortly before 4 a.m. July 30 in the area of Northeast 120th Street between Missouri Route A highway and Fishing River Road, north of Liberty in rural Clay County.

Scheidecker’s family is offering the $5,000 reward through the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477) or report it online. People providing tips can remain anonymous, said Sarah Boyd, a spokeswoman for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

On the day of the fatal hit-and-run, deputies were sent to investigate a possible hit-and-run crash near Northeast 120th Street and Missouri Route A highway. There, they found Scheidecker, who had been killed in the crash.

A preliminary investigation found that Scheidecker had pulled over and was outside his vehicle when he was hit, Boyd said.

The driver of the vehicle didn’t stop. Investigators have pursued a variety of leads but more information is need to identify a suspect, she said.

Scheidecker was described as a “pillar of generosity, kindness, and a need for adventure,” according to his obituary on the Hixson-Klein Funeral Home’s website.

A graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in biomedical engineering, Scheidecker owned his own business. He lived outside of Liberty “on the land he loved.”