Kansas City massage therapist reportedly spent a normal evening with her husband and went to bed. Then, around midnight, their back door opened

Sensitive content disclaimer: This article discusses an unexplained death, serious injuries, and possible sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.

In a tragic and alarming case in Kansas City, Missouri, ADT home security records show the back door opened shortly after midnight at the home of massage therapist Katie Garcia. By morning, Garcia lay unconscious and seriously injured in the side yard. She later died after nearly a month in the hospital, and authorities continue to investigate what happened.

Garcia, 42, passed away Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, according to her family and friends. The Kansas City Police Department says the death investigation remains open, and officials have not publicly determined how Garcia suffered her injuries or what caused her death, per Fox4KC.

According to Garcia’s friends, she returned home from work as a massage therapist around 9:30 p.m. on July 29. She lived near East 28th Street and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri.

Garcia reportedly had a normal evening.

Katherine McCleery, a childhood friend, told local media that Garcia and her husband, Billy Taylor, went to bed and said goodnight. The family’s account then centers on activity recorded by the home’s ADT security system. The system reportedly alerted at 12:11 a.m. that the back door had opened. Records show it closed about 12:40 a.m. that night.

Four weeks after Katie Garcia was found critically injured outside her home, her family says they still don’t know what happened.https://t.co/6hr8eTedgJ pic.twitter.com/HHaetE4f3P

— FOX4 News Kansas City (@fox4kc) August 28, 2026

Taylor later woke up and realized Garcia was not inside the home, according to her friends’ account. At around 6:30 a.m. He searched the house before going outside, where he found Garcia in the side yard.

Friends told local media that Garcia was unconscious, bleeding from her head, and undressed from the waist down when Taylor found her. He called 911, and emergency responders took her to a hospital.

Garcia underwent multiple emergency surgeries.

Hospital testing also reportedly showed a blood alcohol level of 0.400, an extremely high, potentially lethal level of intoxication. Friends and relatives have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding that result and Garcia’s injuries. Reports say authorities found no sign of alcohol consumption at the scene.

The family also questioned whether Garcia may have experienced a sexual assault. According to reporting by KMBC, Garcia’s friends said a sexual-assault examination was not performed because she could not provide consent. They said a warrant would have been necessary.

After roughly four weeks of treatment, Garcia’s family decided to end medical intervention. A fundraiser organized for the family says Garcia underwent multiple surgeries and never regained consciousness before the family decided to stop medical interventions.

Capt. Jacob Becchina, a Kansas City police spokesperson, told reporters that police have not found immediate signs of foul play. He also said investigators have not determined a cause of death and that the case remains an active death investigation pending findings from the Jackson County Medical Examiner. Police have declined to provide additional details about the scene while the investigation continues.

Taylor has offered a different perspective from some of Garcia’s friends and relatives.

In a statement reported by KMBC, Garcia’s husband said he believes Garcia fell and suffered a traumatic brain injury that ultimately caused her death. He also said he respects the wishes of other family members who want further investigation.

Garcia’s family and friends continue to seek answers. Her sister, Jennifer Garcia, told KMBC that she wants investigators to examine the circumstances. Friends have also used social media to raise awareness of the case.