Somewhere in Topeka, Kansas, there is a family facing a silence no family should ever have to endure. There is a place at the table that will never feel quite the same, a familiar voice they would give anything to hear again, and a lifetime of memories that will now have to take the place of moments that should still be happening. Seventeen-year-old J’Lanette Harrison should be thinking about graduation, her future, and all the wonderful possibilities waiting beyond the halls of Highland Park High School. Instead, her family and community are mourning a young lady whose life ended far too soon.
And I want everybody reading this to understand something.
J’Lanette Harrison was not just another name in a police report. She was somebody’s entire world.
She was intelligent. She was loved. She was known. Topeka Public Schools Superintendent Tiffany Anderson described J’Lanette as a scholar who was actively involved in her school community and cherished by students and staff.
That is the young lady we need to remember.
Not simply how she died, but how she lived.
The friendships she built. The people she encouraged. The classrooms she walked into. The laughter she shared. The dreams she had every right to pursue.
Somebody should have been helping her pick out a graduation outfit. Somebody should have been making plans for the next chapter of her life. Somebody should have been telling her that the best years were still ahead.
Instead of planning her graduation, people who loved J’Lanette are now grieving her death.
And that ought to trouble every one of us.
TOPEKA, WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LOOK AWAY
I grew up in Topeka. I know what it means to have people in that community who become part of your story. I know the neighborhoods, the schools, and the pride that comes from calling that city home.
That is why this loss hits so close to my heart.
There are questions surrounding J’Lanette’s death that deserve careful, thorough answers. Authorities have been investigating the death of a 17-year-old girl brought to Stormont Vail Hospital on October 31, although the public reporting available to me has not established an official connection between that investigation and J’Lanette by name or confirmed the circumstances of her death.
We must be responsible with those facts.
But responsibility does not require silence.
To the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office, the Topeka Police Department, and every agency that may have a role in determining what happened: please understand that this community is paying attention.
We are not asking you to compromise evidence, reveal confidential information, or rush to judgment. We know that a proper investigation requires patience and professionalism.
We are asking that every relevant lead be pursued, every credible witness be heard, and every appropriate resource be used to establish the truth.
If a crime was committed, the evidence must lead to accountability.
And if there are people who know something that could help, they need to understand that their information could matter.
A young person’s death deserves more than a brief announcement followed by silence.
TO OUR TELEVISION STATIONS, RADIO STATIONS, AND NEWSPAPERS
I have spent much of my adult life in broadcasting, and I believe deeply in what local journalism can accomplish when it remembers that its greatest responsibility is to the people it serves.
So I am speaking directly to WIBW, KSNT, FOX 43, the Topeka Capital-Journal, and every radio newsroom serving Topeka and northeast Kansas.
Please keep asking questions. Please keep following this story. And please do not allow J’Lanette Harrison to become yesterday’s news before her family has the answers it deserves.
Seek official updates. Verify information before reporting it. Ask whether investigators need assistance from the public. Give the family space to grieve while offering them an opportunity to share who J’Lanette really was, if and when they choose.
And radio, don’t underestimate the power of your microphone.
Somebody listening may remember something important. Somebody may have information they have not yet shared. Somebody may simply need to hear that this young lady’s life mattered enough for the community to keep asking responsible questions.
We cannot manufacture answers. We cannot accuse people based on rumors. And we certainly cannot turn another family’s pain into a social media spectacle.
But we can use our platforms for something that matters.
A microphone cannot bring J’Lanette home. But it can help make sure the truth is not forgotten.
IF YOU KNOW SOMETHING, PLEASE SAY SOMETHING
Anyone with firsthand information about the circumstances surrounding J’Lanette’s death should contact the appropriate authorities.
Preserve messages, photographs, video recordings, or other information that may be relevant. Share those details with investigators rather than posting unverified accusations online.
And to the young people who knew her, especially her classmates at Highland Park High School, please know that your grief matters, too.
You have lost someone who was part of your everyday world. Someone you expected to see in the hallway. Someone whose future you expected to celebrate alongside your own.
Talk to someone you trust. Lean on your family, teachers, counselors, and friends. You do not have to carry this sadness alone.
HER NAME DESERVES TO BE REMEMBERED
I keep thinking about the ordinary moments that families sometimes take for granted.
A child calling from another room. A conversation on the way to school. A parent reminding their teenager to be careful. A simple goodnight, never imagining that one day those ordinary words would become precious memories.
Those are the moments that make a loss like this so heartbreaking.
And as a father and a pastor, I cannot look at J’Lanette’s story without thinking about the family who loved her long before the rest of us learned her name.
To her family, I offer my deepest condolences, my prayers, and my sincere hope that you will be surrounded by people who show up for you long after the initial shock has passed.
Psalm 34:18 reminds us, “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” (KJV)
May God be especially close to this family in the days ahead.
And may those responsible for establishing the facts of her death do so with diligence, integrity, and compassion.
I don’t want J’Lanette Harrison remembered only because something terrible happened.
I want her remembered because she was a bright young lady who mattered. Because she was loved. Because she had a future worth celebrating. Because her absence has left a hole in the lives of people who knew her.
Her life was worth more than a headline. Her family deserves more than unanswered questions. And her memory deserves more than a moment of attention.
Topeka, love this family. Support her classmates. Respect the investigation. Help the truth come to light.
And to every newsroom and every law enforcement agency entrusted with serving this community:
We are not demanding a convenient answer. We are asking for the truth.
We are not looking for someone to blame without evidence. We are asking that no stone be left unturned.
And we are not going to forget that J’Lanette Harrison was only 17 years old.
Her name was J’Lanette Harrison.
She was here.
She was loved.
And she mattered.
**True Vine Missionary Baptist Church, Topeka, Kansas, under the direction of Pastor Lashad Buffet, has set up a MealTrain for the family during this time. https://mealtrain.com/3n3ddw
Steven D. Mills
Publisher, On The Dial
Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Garden City, Kansas
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