BROOKSVILLE, Fla. (WFLA) – A Hernando County woman is devastated by the loss of her uncle, whose tragic death in Kansas is making headlines across the country.
Randy Potter’s family reported him missing eight months ago. His decomposed body was recently discovered inside his work truck, which had been parked at the Kansas City International Airport parking lot since his disappearance in January. Authorities are treating his death as a suicide.
“I couldn’t breathe,” Melissa Alderman said as she described her reaction to a phone call earlier this month explaining that her uncle was found dead at the airport.
Alderman lives in Brooksville. She spoke to News Channel 8 about the discovery. Alderman tells us her family searched far and wide for Potter. They even scoured the airport.
“It’s hard as hell to know your loved one was there for eight months baking in the sun,” she said. “His body was so badly decomposed that they couldn’t tell what his sex was.”
Family members asked airport officials to check the airport as well and they assured the family they would scan the airport’s various parking facilities.
“The gentleman at the police department, he told me ‘if he’s there, we’ll find him,'” Alderman said.
Now, the family wants answers and change. They hope the airport investigates and implements changes to security and patrol guidelines.
“To think about the fact that so many people parked next to him for eight months,” she said. “I mean, the ticket on the windshield said January 17th. That’s the day we reported him missing.”
Potter, 53, grew up in the Town ‘N’ Country area, Alderman said. He later joined the military.
It’s unclear why he went to the airport just prior to his death.
Funeral services are scheduled for September 30th in Kansas. Potter will be buried in Ohio in October, his niece said.
