Left inset: Kennan Peoples (Pemiscot County Jail). Right inset: Donald Peoples Jr. (Dunklin County Jail). Background: Kaniah Jenkins (KFVS/Missouri State Highway Patrol).
Two men in Missouri allegedly kidnapped an 18-year-old girl, shoving socks into her mouth and tying her up, before raping and murdering the teen with help from a third male, according to court documents.
"Playing with a woman tonight," wrote suspect Kennan Peoples in a text message to co-suspect Donald Peoples Jr. on Nov. 3 in reference to victim Kaniah Jennings, who was kidnapped that evening by Kennan and co-suspect Blake Patrick, according to a probable cause statement.
Jennings was reported missing on Nov. 4 in Pemiscot County. She was last seen the night before in Hayti, according to a police press release.
Kennan Peoples and Patrick are accused of picking Jennings up from her home in Portageville and holding her hostage at a residence Kennan shared with Donald Peoples. Cops say Patrick spoke to police about what allegedly went on there.
"While at the residence … one of the suspects, Blake Patrick, described both he and Kennan Peoples as having sex with Jennings," according to court documents. "Patrick further described that during this intercourse, Kennan Peoples placed socks inside of Jennings mouth. After this encounter, Patrick then describes Jennings as being tied up and a blanket placed over her head."
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While this was going on, Kennan Peoples allegedly began texting Donald Peoples about what was happening. "Hey take your sweet time getting home," he texted, according to the probable cause statement.
After allegedly telling him about "playing with a woman," cops say Donald Peoples texted, "Lord How [sic] mercy lol well thats the purpose of having your own end of the house. Do your thang, where did the lil white boy go, did you let him stay."
Kennan Peoples and Patrick allegedly left the residence to go get gas in a Nissan Frontier with Jennings in the backseat, still tied up with a blanket over her head. He pumped $20 worth of gas that Patrick sent to himself using Jennings's Cash App account from her cellphone, according to the probable cause statement.
After getting gas, the two men allegedly drove back to Jennings's home in Portageville to place her cellphone "on the ground near her residence," police say. They then drove back to the home that Kennan Peoples shared with Donald Peoples and found him sitting on the couch as they walked in with Jennings "still having her hands bound and a blanket over her head," according to cops.
"Patrick describes Kennan as taking Jennings to a bedroom and raping her," the probable cause statement alleges. "During this time, Patrick states that Jennings was still alive, but in 'bad shape.' Patrick states that he became very scared and left the residence, stealing the Frontier and going straight to Arkansas."
Cops say Jennings died sometime between the evening of Nov. 3 and morning of Nov. 4, with Donald and Kennan Peoples remaining at the residence "the duration of the night with Jennings still at the residence, believed to be deceased," according to the probable cause statement. The two men eventually moved Jennings's body to an area in "rural Pemiscot County," a police press release says, where it was found on Friday.
Authorities followed up on numerous leads and obtained surveillance video linking Kennan Peoples, Donald Peoples and Patrick to Jennings's disappearance. The trio was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with multiple crimes.
Kennan Peoples is facing charges of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree rape and tampering with evidence; Donald Peoples is charged with first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence; Patrick is charged with first-degree accessory to murder, first-degree kidnapping and first-degree rape.
All three men are due in court on Monday for their arraignments.
