By This Is Topeka Staff
As the search for missing Topeka man Kaden Zubler stretches into another week, frustration continues to mount—not just with the disappearance itself, but with the slow and fragmented response from city leaders and law enforcement.
In a public post, Kaden’s family made a heartfelt plea for public support and political accountability, writing:
“It’s not too late to help us find Kaden and help improve the safety of the capital city.”
Their message, which highlights the minimal coordination and lack of urgency they’ve experienced, paints a concerning picture of Topeka’s preparedness to respond to missing persons cases. According to the family, communication from city officials has been inconsistent at best:
- Councilwoman Sylvia Ortiz reached out via phone.
- Mayoral candidate Spencer Duncan replied with a copy-paste message.
- Councilwoman Christina Valdivia-Alcalá texted briefly with the family.
- Councilwoman Karen Hiller, when contacted by This Is Topeka, responded by asking, “Curious what they want beyond what they are getting,” stating she believes TPD is already following up on leads and working closely with the family.
But the family—and growing numbers of community members—aren’t convinced that’s enough.
“Only the police can compel businesses to review camera footage and secure it,” the family explained. “We don’t know why Kaden deviated from his regular walking path… We do know that camera footage can reveal what happened to him.”
And what of the mayor’s office? Silence.
Despite outreach, Mayor Michael Padilla has not issued a public statement nor responded to direct inquiries from either the family or this publication.
In contrast, several mayoral candidates did take the time to respond, including:
- Chad Fay, who, along with his family, participated in the search for Kaden but declined to issue a public statement.
- Gabriel Killman, who offered prayers.
- Henry McClure, who candidly responded, “This is why I’m running,” expressing frustration over the handling of the situation.
Jolie Tippitt, candidate for District 1—the district in which Zubler owns a home—has openly expressed dissatisfaction with the city’s response.
The family’s appeal was not just for help finding Kaden but for the broader issue of how Topeka handles missing persons cases. As they noted, TPD currently has only one detective assigned to missing persons and this detective has been on and off duty throughout the search and has at times been unreachable. In a city of nearly 125,000 people, that’s a statistic that’s raising eyebrows—and alarm. This is Topeka has not reached out to the detective because clearly he is busy and we do not want to distract from job-that according to sources-he does 3 days a week.
“If you live here, you are entitled to protection… Council members are reading their emails. Let them know where you stand,” the family urged.
This is more than just one case—it’s a test of how our city responds when a resident vanishes. So far, the results are not encouraging.
We’ve reached out to the Topeka Police Department for comment and will update this article with any response.
In the meantime, anyone with information about Kaden Zubler’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact local authorities immediately.
