LEAVENWORTH, KS — A moving fraud investigation tied to Howards Vanlines has taken a new turn as KMBC 9 Investigates followed shipments leaving a Leavenworth, Kansas, warehouse and crossing into Missouri. The station says the trucks were tracked over two separate days last week to another warehouse near Trimble in Clinton County, giving customers and investigators a fresh lead on where missing household goods may be sitting now.
The case has drawn complaints from people who say their belongings were delayed, damaged, or never delivered at all. Some customers told KMBC they had tracked items to the Leavenworth warehouse with GPS devices but could not get help recovering them. So far, neither the Kansas nor Missouri agencies involved have announced charges against the companies connected to the shipments.
KMBC tracks shipments leaving Leavenworth for a Missouri warehouse
For weeks, KMBC says it has watched movers clear out the Leavenworth warehouse tied to Howards Vanlines, a company under federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Transportation for possible moving fraud. The station then followed the same box truck on two different days as it moved shipments across the state line to a different warehouse in Clinton County, Missouri, near Trimble.
KMBC says it is publishing the approximate area of the new location along U.S. Route 169 so customers can keep trying to track their items. The station also says it notified the Clinton County sheriff and Leavenworth police about the exact location. KMBC contacted the property owner connected to the Missouri site but did not receive a response.
Customers say their belongings were stuck in the Leavenworth warehouse for months
The Leavenworth warehouse at Fifth and Olive streets has already been tied to several customer complaints. KMBC previously reported that at least three Howards customers used GPS trackers to locate their property there. Other people contacted the station to say their shipments were stored in the same warehouse alongside items from other companies.
Customers have described a pattern of problems that goes beyond one location. Some say movers representing Howards demanded thousands of dollars more on moving day. Others say goods were never delivered at all, or arrived missing pieces or broken. KMBC says it has also heard from customers who believe the company stopped responding once the move was completed.
Leavenworth police previously told KMBC they could not simply enter the warehouse to retrieve items because some contract windows were still active for companies including Howards. That left many customers waiting while their belongings remained inside the building.
Police and sheriff’s office are now investigating the shipment trail
Both the Leavenworth Police Department and the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office have said investigations are underway. KMBC reports that people with missing shipments have been calling law enforcement to describe lost items and long delays, but no charges have been filed against the companies involved.
KMBC also says it received a list of people who had items inside the Leavenworth warehouse from a confidential source and passed that information to Leavenworth police. That list may help connect customers with the goods still being moved between storage sites as investigators sort out which shipments belong to whom.
The growing number of complaints has stretched across state lines, with some customers saying they have tried to get help in Kansas, Missouri, and their own home states without success. The cross-border trail has become an important part of the broader federal and local inquiry.
Eviction fight returned the Leavenworth property to the owners
The Leavenworth warehouse was rented by Logistic Moving Services of Tucker, Georgia, from Donald and Kelly Cline. The Clines say they have been trying for weeks to regain control of the property so items could be returned to their owners, but legal delays slowed that process.
According to the Clines, a man representing Logistic, Eli Hasut, appeared in court last month and used the proceeding to delay an eviction that might have sped up the return of customer property. Hasut was scheduled to return Thursday to finish the eviction process, but he did not show up. A judge then granted immediate possession of the property back to the Clines.
The Clines say most of the items have now been moved out of their warehouse, but they remain worried about the people waiting for their possessions. Kelly Cline said she believes law enforcement knows where the items are and should be able to act.
How missing-shipment victims are being told to report their cases
KMBC says anyone who believes a shipment is missing and may be in either warehouse should file a police report in the city or state where the move originally started. The station also says those agencies should then contact the Leavenworth Police Department at 913-682-4411 or the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office at 816-539-2156 to share the report.
According to KMBC, investigators may be able to help most when items have been missing for months rather than during the original contract window. The Clines have also called for a broader response, urging law enforcement and prosecutors nationwide to create a moving fraud task force so similar cases can be handled more effectively in the future.
Kelly Cline said she fears companies can quickly rebrand and keep operating under new names. Her concern reflects a central frustration in the case: customers say the businesses can disappear even while their property remains in storage, leaving victims to chase paperwork, police reports, and warehouse addresses across state lines.
How missing-shipment victims are being told to report their cases
KMBC says anyone who believes a shipment is missing and may be in either warehouse should file a police report in the city or state where the move originally started. The station also says those agencies should then contact the Leavenworth Police Department at 913-682-4411 or the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office at 816-539-2156 to share the report.
According to KMBC, investigators may be able to help most when items have been missing for months rather than during the original contract window. The Clines have also called for a broader response, urging law enforcement and prosecutors nationwide to create a moving fraud task force so similar cases can be handled more effectively in the future.
Kelly Cline said she fears companies can quickly rebrand and keep operating under new names. Her concern reflects a central frustration in the case: customers say the businesses can disappear even while their property remains in storage, leaving victims to chase paperwork, police reports, and warehouse addresses across state lines.
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