Ace Tow & Recovery, LLC

My fiancé went missing June 18, 2013.  He left with his bicycle in his vehicle saying he was going for a ride and running errands.
  
I filed a Missing Persons Report.
  
June 22, KCMO police officers came to my house and told me the Clay County Rangers had found my fiance?s vehicle and later that day his body.  Also that the Rangers had all of his effects as they were doing the investigation.
   
June 23 Called Clay County Rangers, talked to another ranger who said that they had all of his things including a note that he
left.
July 1 I talked to another ranger who said they have all his personal effects, also told me that Ranger Charles XXXXXXX  was the
detective in charge of the case and he would have him call me.
 
July 2 Ranger Charles XXXXXXXX  told me that they would release all of his personal effects to me with the signed, certified,
notarized letter from my fiance?s mother saying that all of his items go to me.  He also said that they were waiting on the Medical examiner?s report, which could be 6-8 weeks.
       
July 9 
I found a yellow note for Certified mail in my mailbox for my fiance, and I went to the post
office and told them he was my fiancé, and he was deceased.  They allowed me to sign for the certified
mail.  It was a Notice from Ace Tow & Recovery, LLC saying that they have my fiance's car and that they have had it since the day
he was found on June 22, 2013.

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  The certified mail was sent on July 5th of the next month, and I received it on July 9th.  I was not informed until this point that the car was towed  or the location of the vehicle other than verbally that all his effects were with the rangers. 
At this time the charges were $830.00 to retrieve the car.  And  according to the Abandoned tow regulations,  the tow company had missed the required timeframes of notification.
·       
I was so upset I call the rangers on the 9th
of July to make sure that they do actually have the Note that my fiance had left to all of us.  I explained about the letter from
the tow company and that I thought all along that the Rangers had
everything.  Ranger Charles XXXXXX assured me
that they have the note.  He had no explanation for not informing me about the car. 
 He also then also called the tow company and talked to them about releasing to me and they said they would work
with us on the tow charges but did not call us or work with us.
My fiance's mother called the tow company and asked if they would please release the car to me.  The lady at the tow company said the charges are over $800 dollars.  My fiance?s Mother informed them it is our intention to donate the car to a veteran who needs it.  The lady at the tow company says ?we need to
make money? and also that ?you will need a court document.?  Again she didn't explain or didn't know what that meant herself.  She said they would NOT release the car to me without these "documents."
    
I called the Clay County Circuit clerk, talking to three different areas of the court, three different times to ask about
this.  None of them knew of any court documents needed to do this.
 
I called several different Clay County attorneys, but they kept referring me around to different attorneys because
they didn?t know where it fit in the court system.
·       
An Attorney said I should file in small claims, especially before the 10 days to petition this, were up, which I did, for the amount of the blue book value of the car, hoping that the tow company would then call me and work with me and I could pay some amount to get my fiance's car back.
·       
July 10, while looking for the car title, I found my fiance?s Will and Power of Attorney, saying that I am to receive the
vehicle and various other items.
·       
I Contacted KSHB channel 4 Call for Action via
their website, explaining the situation and asking for help.
·       
July 12 
I talked on the phone to Keith King from KSHB 41 and I told him the
situation.  He called the tow company, told them of our intention to donate the car and asked what they could do for
us.  The man at the tow company said they would need court documents.  He wouldn't say anything else.  Again.
·       
July 18  My
Mother talked to the tow company.  The
lady said ?no one had a legal right to the vehicle.  It was not her problem that no one told
Ginger about where the vehicle was.  She said ?they had a right to hold the vehicle for 10 days after towing and then
send a certified letter.?  (although, it was 15 as we know) My mother asked do weekends count.  She said ?yes, we
are charging you $40 a day so a day is a day.  And yes, weekends count.?  Then my Mother told her that I had just found a will.  She said that Nick?s mother had said there was no will, then she said ?Well, that will have to go through probate.? 
Mom said what about working with us on the charges as one of the rangers
indicated you would and she said ?Yes, but not until everything is settled.?  She made a point of saying that they have everything that is in his car.
One of the Clay County Commissioners called and talked to the Ace Tow & Recovery.  The commissioner said she was appalled with how they were acting.  She couldn?t believe that the tow company wouldn?t deal with us, especially after what I was already going through.  She said that the Court House was even going to take a collection for the tow fee for us to  get the car released.  She talked to the tow company and inquired about what kind of documents that they would need and he said ?I don?t have to tell you that? and later she asked again and he said ?I?m not answering that.?
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July 24 
One of the Smithville Rangers called me and said that the tow company owner had called
them.  The tow company person said that he had FINALLY called several KC tow companies and he had found out that he CAN
release the car with the statement of Transfer of Property to me from my fiance?s
mom and with the Death Certificate, both of which I had already had.  The tow company had before adamantly denied working with us and said we needed court documents and when asked "What court documents"  they said they did not have to tell us.
   
July 24
 So we then called Ace Tow & Recovery.  The lady said that now they can release the car with the statement
from Nick?s mother and the Death Certificate but they need ALL the money, even though days had accumulated when I had already had all of the documents which I had needed to get the vehicle!  It had added an additional 10 days from the time I had already obtained this paperwork.  We said we would have to go ahead with the Small Claims suit then and asked if she had received the summons.  She said ?What summons?? (upset) and said ?then she was going to go ahead and get a title for the car.?