Disclaimer: All facts gleaned from the filings stated hereafter are only as truthful as the petitioner. The tone of this article expresses a style of writing historically employed by America’s greatest writers and, as such, is for opinion purposes only. No intentional harm is due. Do not read if the topic of divorce (even your own) causes you emotional distress. Continue at your own risk.
In the quiet residential stretch of Raytown, Missouri, a dissolution petition signals the unraveling of another American household. Filed in the Circuit Court of Jackson County at Independence on October 9, 2025, Stephanie M. Knotts v. Blake Knotts marks the formal end of a union that began on September 22, 2017. After eight years of marriage, the couple—still residing under the same roof —now live as strangers in shared space, the domestic front turned neutral ground.
Represented by attorney Joshua T. Mathews of The Mathews Group, L.C., Stephanie asserts that irreconcilable differences have caused an irretrievable breakdown of their marriage, one that cannot be restored. No allegations of misconduct appear; instead, the filing reflects a pragmatic parting—two people who once built a family, now navigating how to dismantle it with precision and care. Two young children, ages six and four, remain at the center of this transition. Stephanie seeks joint legal and joint physical custody, with her residence designated as the children’s mailing and educational address, subject to Blake’s parenting time.
Both parties are employed and neither requests maintenance or attorney’s fees. The petition calls for an equitable division of marital property and debts, along with a determination of child support in accordance with Missouri law. What emerges from the filing is a portrait not of conflict but of endurance—the disciplined effort to end a shared life without inflicting further damage, a quiet civility amid dissolution.
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