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Kansas Man Pleads Guilty to Abandoning 13-Year-Old’s Body

An autopsy found the boy died from multiple dog bite injuries, leaving prosecutors to pursue separate Kansas charges while Missouri sentencing is imminent.

Overview

  • Damon Leonard pleaded guilty May 22 to one felony count of abandonment of a corpse in Bates County and is scheduled for sentencing on May 29 in Bates County District Court.
  • The Wyandotte County Coroner’s Office autopsy identified multiple dog bite injuries as the cause of death, a finding that underpins further investigative and prosecutorial actions.
  • Leonard contacted Bates County deputies and led them to a remote ravine in a creek bed across the KansasMissouri line where Airen Andula’s body was recovered in December 2025.
  • Kansas City, Kansas police later filed additional charges in Kansas, including interference with law enforcement, criminal desecration and having a vicious dog at large, and several dogs were seized from Leonard’s property.
  • Watch for the May 29 sentencing and the outcome of the pending Kansas charges as multiagency investigations continue and Airen’s family and the Pleasanton community seek answers and accountability.