Prosecutors say a torn glove and three biological samples connect Ramello Robinson-Parks to the 2024 homicide.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — DNA recovered from Elaysha Gilliam and a torn glove found in her hair helped investigators charge her former boyfriend more than two years after she was found bound and fatally shot in a vacant lot.

Ramello Robinson-Parks faces first-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm in Gilliam’s death. Jackson County prosecutors announced the charges June 8, 2026, after an investigation that combined laboratory findings, cellphone records, witness accounts and items seized during a separate federal arrest. Robinson-Parks was in federal custody when the state case was filed. The complaint marks the start of a prosecution, and its allegations have not been proved at trial.

The physical evidence described by prosecutors begins with a small piece of a latex medical-style glove recovered from Gilliam’s hair. Investigators submitted the fragment for testing and said Robinson-Parks’ DNA was found on it. His DNA also matched material collected from Gilliam’s mouth and a scraping taken from beneath a fingernail on her right hand, according to the probable cause statement. Prosecutors have not publicly released the full laboratory reports, the amount of genetic material found or whether any of the samples contained DNA from more than one person. Those records are expected to become part of the evidence exchanged with the defense as the case moves through court.

Other objects collected at the scene did not produce the same result. Robinson-Parks’ DNA was not found on the duct tape, zip ties or spent cartridge casings, according to reports based on the charging documents. That distinction is likely to matter as both sides assess the strength of the forensic case. Prosecutors can argue that DNA on Gilliam and the glove fragment places Robinson-Parks in contact with evidence connected to the crime. Defense attorneys may examine whether the samples could have come from earlier contact during the pair’s long relationship and why his genetic material was absent from the restraints and ammunition evidence.

Police found Gilliam on Feb. 19, 2024, in an overgrown lot near Oakley Avenue and East 36th Terrace, close to Dunbar Park. A couple who regularly stayed in the area discovered her while walking through the field. Officers found her hands and feet secured with zip ties. Duct tape covered her mouth and had been wrapped around her head. She had multiple gunshot wounds to her head, neck, torso, arm and buttocks. Emergency workers pronounced her dead at the scene. The medical examiner later ruled that she died from multiple gunshot wounds and classified the death as a homicide.

Investigators recovered five .40-caliber cartridge casings during their first examination of the lot. An ATF dog later located three more, bringing the total to eight. The charging documents do not identify a recovered firearm or state that ballistic testing connected the casings to a gun possessed by Robinson-Parks. Prosecutors nevertheless charged him with unlawful possession of a firearm, alleging that he had a .40-caliber gun despite prior felony convictions. The complaint cites convictions for second-degree involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident involving physical injury as the legal basis for the possession count.

The DNA evidence gained new context after federal authorities arrested Robinson-Parks on May 16, 2026, in a separate case. Detectives found gloves inside his backpack, prosecutors said. The gloves were described as similar in color and appearance to the torn piece recovered from Gilliam’s hair. The public filing does not say that investigators matched the fragment to one of the seized gloves through manufacturing marks, chemical analysis or a physical fit. The comparison instead became one more part of the state’s evidence, paired with the alleged DNA match on the fragment itself.

Cellphone records provide the prosecution with a separate link to the area where Gilliam was found. A device associated with Robinson-Parks began moving away from cell towers near his residence shortly before 3 a.m. Feb. 17, 2024, according to the probable cause statement. At about 3:30 a.m., it connected with towers serving the area around the vacant lot. The phone later traveled toward another residence identified by investigators. Cell-site information can place a device within the range of particular towers, but the precision varies. The filing does not state the estimated coverage area or establish who physically carried the phone.

The timing aligns with what two witnesses reported hearing. The couple who later found Gilliam said they heard a woman scream and then heard gunshots at about 4 a.m. Feb. 17. Their statement placed the sounds roughly 30 minutes after the phone associated with Robinson-Parks appeared in the area. Police have not disclosed whether acoustic sensors recorded the gunfire, whether nearby cameras captured a vehicle or whether additional residents reported hearing shots. The witnesses did not report seeing the shooting or identifying the person responsible.

Investigators also reconstructed Gilliam’s movements before the phone reached the area. A relative said Gilliam left home shortly after midnight to meet Robinson-Parks. Another witness described her getting into a black Jeep Grand Cherokee linked to him at about 12:30 a.m. The two had dated for about seven years but had separated seven or eight months earlier, witnesses said. Their contact continued after the breakup. They traveled together to Las Vegas on Feb. 10 and returned to Kansas City early Feb. 16, one day before Gilliam was last seen alive.

Robinson-Parks spoke with detectives March 5, 2024. He said he had talked with Gilliam on Valentine’s Day while she attended the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade and that nothing seemed unusual, according to the probable cause statement. He also said she sometimes disappeared for several days following arguments. When investigators asked him to discuss their recent communications in greater detail, he declined and said he needed to “get himself together” before continuing. The filing does not say he confessed or admitted being with Gilliam during the early morning hours of Feb. 17.

Statements from Gilliam’s friends and relatives added relationship history to the physical and digital evidence. Witnesses described Robinson-Parks as jealous, insecure and controlling. Some said Gilliam had received threatening messages and believed she was being watched. One person said Gilliam feared that another confrontation could become more serious. Another alleged that an earlier assault caused Gilliam to lose a twin pregnancy. The allegations were included in the investigative record but have not been tested through cross-examination or established by a verdict in this case.

Gilliam was 26 and the mother of four children. Her family said she was pregnant when she died. Relatives remembered her as outgoing, generous and strongly connected to her children. Her obituary referred to her as “Lay” and described her as someone who helped people in need, including by giving food to people without homes. Her father, Ed Gilliam, and stepmother, Clydetta Gilliam, publicly sought answers while the investigation remained open, saying the family feared the case might lose attention as the months passed.

The first-degree murder count requires prosecutors to prove that Robinson-Parks knowingly caused Gilliam’s death after deliberation. The armed criminal action charge alleges that he used a deadly weapon while committing the murder. The firearm count depends on proof that he knowingly possessed a gun while barred by his felony record. Each charge presents a separate legal question, even though the counts arise from the same alleged conduct. Robinson-Parks retains the presumption of innocence unless he pleads guilty or a court finds him guilty.

Defense attorneys will be able to seek the complete DNA reports, chain-of-custody records, cellphone data and search documents connected to the gloves found in the backpack. They may also challenge the interpretation of relationship evidence and argue that some biological contact had an innocent explanation because Gilliam and Robinson-Parks had recently traveled together. Prosecutors can respond that the location and combination of the samples, along with the phone data and last-seen accounts, support a single sequence of events. Those competing interpretations have not yet been presented to a jury.

Authorities have not publicly explained how Gilliam entered the vacant lot, whether she was shot where her body was found or whether another person may have been present. They also have not identified the alleged murder weapon. The absence of those answers does not prevent prosecutors from bringing a circumstantial case, but the unresolved details may become important during pretrial motions and trial testimony.

No trial date was announced. Robinson-Parks remains subject to federal custody while Jackson County prepares to prosecute the state charges. A judge set his state bond at $100,000 cash only. His next court proceedings are expected to address custody, counsel and the exchange of the forensic records that prosecutors say turned a small glove fragment into a central piece of the case.

Author note: Last updated July 12, 2026.