It’s not long ago that she was branded as the history-making black Democrat in the state of Missouri; and now she is missing amidst an audit of her office with some wondering whether she is in hiding as the question of her disappearance remains unanswered. Where is Kim Gardner?
First elected in 2016 as St. Louis Circuit Attorney, Gardner was celebrated by the left as the first Black prosecutor of the city. As she was reelected in 2020, she was already facing allegations of going soft on crime and, under her office, leading the city to decline into a crime haven. Gardner engaged in repeated tiffs with the police department whose officials she accused of racism in their efforts to bring offenders to justice. The Associated Press reported in May 2023 about Gardner:
In 2019, she drew the ire of St. Louis police when she placed dozens of officers on an “exclusion list” prohibiting them from bringing cases.
As she remained accused of failing to fulfill her duties and endangering public safety, Gardner announced her resignation in May 2023, claiming that she was the target of political attacks.
In November last year, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office released a 62-page report that detailed Gardner’s failed policies and their impact on the city’s criminal justice system. Attorney General, Andrew Bailey, stated with the release of the report:
“Kim Gardner hit the eject button and resigned as Circuit Attorney when it became clear that our lawsuit to remove her from office was going to be successful.”
In the meantime, State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick continues to work on an audit, started in 2021 to look closely into Gardner’s misuse of her office, which has come to a standstill. The reason is Gardner’s disappearance. On Monday (May 6), Missourinet reported on Fitzpatrick’s quest to reach Gardner so as to get her to testify over records and help complete the audit. But all attempts to contact her have failed as she seems to have gone missing. Fitzpatrick was cited expressing his will to continue looking for Gardner:
“You know what I would say is that I’m sure somebody’s willing to leave the state and never return, then that might be an effective way of not having to talk to us, but you know, we’re going to continue to look for her.”
On May 8, a news video posted to Rumble showed Fitzpatrick giving an update on the audit surrounding Gardner. He asked the audience, “Have you seen Kim Gardner? Do you know where she is?”
On Twitter/X, the question where is Gardner? resounded via conservative voices, implying that her disappearance is evidence of admission of guilt on her part. Some even mocked the law enforcement for failing to find Gardner.
The public announcements by the State Auditor that Gardner has gone missing for months now has evoked an angry reaction from some leftists defending Gardner. The president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) of St. Louis City, Adolphus Pruitt, called out Fitzpatrick for “painting Kim Gardner as a criminal.” CBS-affiliate KMOV cited Pruitt telling Fitzpatrick:
“Produce the audit. Let’s see it. Put up or shut up.”