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 CASS COUNTY, Mo. -- The FBI has been called in to assist in the delicate search of a remote area in Cass County, where human bones were found Monday evening by a mushroom hunter, and now remains of a second person have been found nearby in the area on Tuesday. 
 
 Authorities with Cass County now say they have found a second human skull in the wooded area near E. 233rd and State Route Y, south of Belton, where they found the first human skull on Monday. They also say they have been in contact with the families of Kara Koptesky and Jessica Runions, two young women missing from the Kansas City area, but could not confirm if the remains were that of these missing women. 
 
 Kara's mother and Jessica's mother have become friends, sharing the common and devastating bond of missing a child. 
 
 "I don't think I could get through this without them and my family and friends," said Jamie Runions, Jessica's mom. "It's just hard. It's the hardest thing anybody would have to go through." 
 
 "We are a team and when you have a missing child… People can say they understand how you feel but unless you have another child that’s missing, you don’t," said Beckford, Kara Kopetsky's mother. "It’s not like any other thing and it’s drawn us closer together and we are like sisters." 
 
 The Missouri State Highway Patrol has shut down approximately 6.5 miles of S. State Route Y between YY-Hwy and D-Hwy (Holmes Road) for the search. The road closure began at 12:30 p.m. and is expected to continue until dark. It could even continue until Wednesday. 
 
 Kara Kopetsky, from Belton, has been missing since May 2007, and Jessica Runions, a Raymore woman disappeared in September 2016. Kopetsky was last seen leaving Belton High School on May 4, 2007 and has not been seen since. Runions was last seen at a party Sept. 8, 2016 with her boyfriend and one of his friends, Kylr Yust. 
 
 "My feeling is Kara is gone but of course there is always that doubt in the back of your mind when you don’t know 100 percent. You always hold onto that hope that’s what you go on. But we need a resolution to this and we need to find out what happened to our girls. Good or bad, we just want them home.​," said Beckford. "They brought us here because they thought there would be some new information that would come in but it just hasn’t panned out to be that way. We’re still just waiting." 
 
 "Every hour, every day, every minute, we just hope and pray those answers come in and we find our daughters and we are able to put the dirt bag away for the rest of his life so he can’t hurt anyone else again," said Beckford. 
 
 Kylr Yust was involved with Kara Koptesky before her disappearance. Yust has never been charged in her disappearance, but she and her mother, Rhonda Beckford, filed a restraining order against him shortly before she vanished. The order wasn’t officially granted until after she disappeared. 
 
 Yust was also a friend of Jessica Runions. He has been charged in Jackson County with 'knowingly burning' in connection to Jessica Runions' case and car. He was arrested in September 2016 at his family's home in Edwards, Mo., in Benton County, about two hours from Kansas City. He has not faced additional charges related to her disappearance. 
 
 In 2011, Yust, then 22, was charged with two counts of animal abuse, including smashing a kitten against a bathroom floor. According to prosecutors, Yust allegedly smashed the head of a kitten against a bathroom floor on July 5, 2011, and then allegedly drowned two kittens in a bag in an area creek on July 20, 2011. 
 
 A week before the animal abuse charges, Yust was placed on two years probation after pleading guilty to beating and choking his 18-year-old pregnant girlfriend. According to police reports, Yust allegedly told the teen that he could dispose of body parts in a pig pen on a family ranch. 
 
 Family and friends of both woman have been searching for clues in their disappearance but have had no luck. Just in January, groups searching for Runions' body found two bodies while searching, but neither of those bodies belong to either of these women. 
 
 According to Captain Kevin Tieman, the skull recovered Monday has been sent to the Jackson County Medical Examiner for further examination. 
 
 FOX 4 has crews at the scene. Expect continuing coverage on fox4kc.com. If you're a Facebook user, check our Facebook page for live reports there as well. Download the app for news in between FOX 4 newscasts. ||||| The families of Kara Kopetsky and Jessica Runions were called by police Tuesday after investigators found a second skull in a Cass County field. 
 
 Click here to see video of the scene 
 
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 Human remains were found by a mushroom hunter south of Belton Monday afternoon. 
 
 A second human skull was located in the same search area, the Sheriff's Office said. 
 
 "No identification has been made at this time. Based on the remains recovered the age, sex, race have not been determined. Further examination is currently in progress. 
 
 
 
 "Although families of missing person cases in the area have been in contact with law enforcement we cannot confirm the identity of victims," the Sheriff's Office said in a news release. 
 
 The remains were found near East 233rd and State Route Y. 
 
 
 
 Authorities said they have closed approximately 6.5 miles of S. State Route Y between YY Hwy and D Hwy (Holmes Rd). The area could be closed until Wednesday. 
 
 "We're another day closer to getting answers, and you know, every hour, every day, every minute, we just hope and pray that those answers come in and we finally, you know, find our daughters, and we're able to put the dirt bag away for the rest of his life so he can never hurt anybody ever again," said Kopetsky’s mother, Rhonda Beckford. 
 
 Kopetsky, 17, was last seen leaving Belton High School in May 2007. Runions, 21, was last seen in September 2016. 
 
 A police report taken after Kopetsky's disappearance shows a witness told police they saw the vehicle belonging to Kylr Yust, Kopetsky's ex-boyfriend, in the area where Cass County authorities say those remains were located. 
 
 Yust Kopetsky police report 
 
 Runions’ SUV was found burned along Blue River Road in south Kansas City shortly after she vanished. Witnesses told police that Kylr Yust was the last person seen with Runions. He has been charged with burning her vehicle. 
 
 The Cass County Sheriff's Office said they will continue searching the wooded area for at least the next 2 days. The search was suspended late Tuesday afternoon because it was getting dark. They said they will meet in the morning and evaluate the weather before continuing the search. 
 
 For free news updates on the go, download the KMBC 9 News app 
 
 
 
 AlertMe ||||| Editor's note: The Belton, Missouri police and Kopetsky family confirmed to ABC News on Aug. 16, 2017, that the second set of remains that were found in April were positively identified as Kara Kopetsky. 
 
 The family of a 21-year-old Missouri woman whose remains were found this week say they won’t have closure until they get answers for the family of another young woman who vanished in the same area nearly 10 years earlier. 
 
 Two sets of human remains were discovered this week in a rural area south of Kansas City, Missouri. The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office identified one set as Jessica Runions, 21, who was last seen on Sept. 8, 2016. Her family says friends told them Jessica was last seen giving her boyfriend’s longtime friend Kylr Yust, 28, a ride home from a party. 
 
 Authorities say a mushroom hunter came across one set of remains on Monday and police found the second the next day. The second set has not yet been identified, but there is speculation that the remains could be those of 17-year-old Kara Kopetsky, who disappeared in Kansas City in May 2007. 
 
 The Runions Family 
 
 No arrests have been made in connection with either disappearance, but the two women share a common connection. They are both reported to have been in contact with Yust shortly before they disappeared. 
 
 “My heart still hurts for [Kara’s family].I got answers for Jessica, but we don’t have them for Kara,” Jessica’s mother Jamie S. Runions said. “[They] deserve to know. It’s almost been 10 years.” 
 
 Runions Family 
 
 Kansas City Police Capt. Stacey Graves told ABC News Runions’ death is now being investigated as a homicide. 
 
 "It’s a tragedy because ideally we would like to find missing persons alive and well, but we are glad she has been located. Now it’s time to get into the investigation and figure out what happened to her," Graves said. 
 
 Authorities say it could take up to a year to identify the second set of remains. 
 
 “Waiting is the hardest part,” Kopetsky’s mother Rhonda Beckford told ABC News. “My feeling in my heart is that the other remains are Kara.” 
 
 With a common link to both of their daughters' cases, Rhonda Beckford and Jamie Runions say they decided to work together to search for their daughters and spread awareness about both girls. 
 
 “We’re stronger as a team,” Jamie Runions said. “We’ve become a family.” 
 
 Charlie Riedel/AP Photo 
 
 Now that Jessica Runions' remains have been found, police are investigating her death as a homicide, and Kansas City Police Capt. Stacey Graves told ABC News said the police are working with the medical examiner to determine her cause of death. 
 
 "It’s a tragedy because ideally we’d like to find missing persons alive and well, but we’re glad she has been located and now it’s time to get into the investigation and figure out what happened to her," Graves said. "And if someone’s responsible we want to make sure that person is charged." 
 
 The Runions family first began their search for their missing daughter nearly seven months ago. Her boyfriend and family grew concerned when she did not come home after leaving the party and they were unable to reach her. 
 
 Jessica’s father John Michael Runions previously told ABC News that his daughter’s cellphone kept going straight to voicemail when they tried calling her. 
 
 “Jessica’s not a runaway girl,” John Michael Runions said. “Jessica would reach out to her family. She loved her job, she loved her friends, she loved her family ... and there’s nothing from her.” 
 
 Kansas City, Mo. Police Department via AP 
 
 Jessica, who was working as a pastry chef in the restaurant at a senior living community, had recently been promoted to a manager position. Her mother said Jessica was hoping to go to college to pursue a journalism degree. 
 
 Her mother and boyfriend reported Jessica missing the night of Sept. 9, 2016. Hours later, Jessica’s 2012 black Chevy Equinox was found burned in a desolate, wooded area around 2 a.m. Sept. 10, police said. But she was nowhere to be found. 
 
 After police found Jessica’s car, they arrested Yust who was found in a small town two hours outside of Kansas City. Yust was arrested and is accused of setting Jessica’s car on fire and has been charged with “knowingly burning” a vehicle. Yust pleaded not guilty to the charge. 
 
 Jessica’s mother told ABC News that she did not know Yust and researched his name online. Through her search, she discovered Yust was connected to the case of his missing ex-girlfriend Kara Kopetsky. She said she then reached out to Kopetsky’s mother Rhonda Beckford. 
 
 “People don't really know what it's like to have missing children.” Jamie Runions said. “They help[ed] me. It's nice to talk to people that understand” 
 
 Yust has been a person of interest in Kopetsky’s case since she disappeared nearly ten years ago, according to police in Belton, Missouri. 
 
 Charlie Riedel/AP Photo 
 
 Lt. Brad Swanson told ABC News earlier this year of the Kopetsky case, "We've been able to eliminate a lot of people…We have not been able to eliminate Kylr." 
 
 According to Belton police reports, Kopetsky had filed a protective order against Yust days before she went missing. In her protective order obtained by ABC News, Kopetsky wrote Yust had kidnapped, restrained and choked her. She wrote she was “unsure of what [Yust] will do next because the abuse has gotten worse over time.” 
 
 Kopetsky was last seen on surveillance video leaving her high school and was never heard from or seen again. 
 
 Despite the years that passed, Kopetsky’s family continued to search for their daughter and for answers. 
 
 “Kara loved her friends [and] loved being around people. She always had a smile.” Kopetsky’s stepfather Jim Beckford said. 
 
 Her mother Rhonda Beckford added, “You know it’s just a horrible feeling, and as a mother, you hope that your daughter is out there, that she’s alive and [that] maybe she is being held somewhere…Maybe you have the hope of getting her back alive.” 
 
 Both families made signs with “Justice for Jessica and Kara” and posted them around the Kansas City area to bring awareness to both missing girls. 
 
 John Michael and Jamie Runions families searched every week both in the Kansas City area and in the town where Yust was found and arrested. Kansas City Police Department teamed up with Missouri Search and Rescue to help with their search efforts and private citizens volunteered their cadaver dogs to help with the search. 
 
 The Beckford and Runions families say they believe that their daughters brought them together. 
 
 “I believe that the girls [Jessica and Kara] and God were putting us together. They got us together to deal with this together. We wouldn’t have been able to come back from this if we didn’t have each other,” Jamie Runions said. 
 
 “After 10 years of doing this, I’m a firm believer that nothing happens by chance and that everything happens for a reason,” Rhonda Beckford added. 
 
 Yust hired attorney Molly Hastings to represent him in his case for “knowingly burning” Jessica Runions’ vehicle. His trial is set for October. 
 
 In a statement to ABC News on the discovery of Runions' remains, Hastings said, "Despite developments made over the course of the past week, Mr. Yust remains charged with only one count of knowingly burning a vehicle. He has pled not guilty to that offense, and the defense will continue to prepare for trial in that case, currently scheduled for October, 2017.” She continued, “There are too many unknown factors to comment further, but I can assert that Kylr has not been charged with any further crimes.” 
 
 The Cass County Sheriff’s department and surrounding law enforcement agencies continue to search the area where the remains were found. KCPD Capt. Graves said police are taking their time. 
 
 "As long as it takes, a day, a week you just never know,” Capt. Graves said. "We want to scour that area and discover any other evidence or potential remains." 
 
 United in grief and determination, the families say they are just beginning a new chapter in their fight for justice for their daughters. 
 
 “This is just the beginning... We are in this for the duration. I’m Kara’s voice and she is Jessica’s voice. And we are going to make sure their voices are heard loud and clear,” Rhonda Beckford said. 
 
 “Our girls [will have] the last word. That’s all I pray for,” Jamie Runions added. 
 
 ABC News' Jake Lefferman contributed to this report.
– The families of two missing women have been notified after the discovery of a pair of skulls this week outside Kansas City, the Kansas City Star reports. Kara Kopetsky was last seen in 2007; Jessica Runions disappeared last September. Neither woman's body has ever been found. The first skull was discovered by a mushroom hunter Monday in a wooded area of Cass County. According to WDAF, authorities found the second skull Tuesday while searching the area. A number of other bones have also been found. While the families of Kopetsky and Runions were notified, neither of the skulls has been identified yet, KMBC reports. It's unclear how long it could take to get an identification. The families of the missing women are hopeful the remains will soon provide some answers. "Even if it’s not Kara, it’s someone’s loved one and someone has answers,” Kopetsky's mother tells the Star. “Good or bad, someone has answers.” Runions' family has been searching regularly since her disappearance. Searchers found two bodies in January, neither of them belonging to the missing women. Runions, 21, was last seen leaving a party with 28-year-old Kylr Yust, a friend of her boyfriend, in September. Yust has been charged with burning her car after it was later found. Yust had dated Kopetsky prior to her disappearance at the age of 17 a decade ago. Shortly before she went missing, Kopetsky filed a restraining order against him.