Lawrence Police Respond to 3 Suspected Fentanyl Overdoes in a Single Night, One Fatal
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — The Lawrence Police Department responded to three suspected fentanyl overdoses Monday night, one of them fatal. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the first call came in about 9:30 pm (in the 900 block of Connecticut Street) and a 39-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. The second happened just after 10 pm (in the 400 block of Illinois Street). The 19-year-old victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The third call came in about 3:45 am Tuesday. Callers from the homeless support site in North Lawrence told police that a 39-year-old woman received seven doses of Narcan, an overdose reversal drug, before officers arrived and found her breathing and with a pulse. She was also taken to the hospital. In each case, police found evidence to believe fentanyl was the cause of the overdoses. According to statistics shared during a recent forum, there were 94 suspected overdoses in Lawrence and 13 deaths in 2022.
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Abortion Providers Sue Kansas over New Medication Rule, Longstanding Waiting Period
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Abortion providers sued Kansas on Tuesday, challenging a new law requiring them to tell patients that an abortion medication can be stopped but also existing restrictions that include a decades-old requirement that patients wait 24 hours to terminate their pregnancies. The lawsuit, filed in state district court in Johnson County in the Kansas City area, argues that Kansas has created a “Biased Counseling Scheme” designed to discourage patients from getting abortions and to stigmatize patients who terminate their pregnancies. The lawsuit contends that the requirements have become “increasingly absurd and invasive” over time and spread medical misinformation.
Kansas voters in August 2022 affirmed abortion rights, refusing to overturn a state Supreme Court decision three years earlier that declared access to abortion a matter of bodily autonomy and a fundamental right under the state constitution. The providers hope the state courts will invalidate the entire state law that spells out what they must tell patients — in writing — and when, with a single, specific style of type mandate for the forms.
Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, one of the providers filing the lawsuit, said the Republican-controlled Legislature's approval of the new abortion medication law caused providers to look at the broader law and restrictions they have always found problematic. Under the new law, set to take effect July 1, providers would be required to tell patients about a regime for stopping medication abortions that major medical groups consider ineffective and potentially dangerous. “We thought about the fact that the voters were very clear in the fact that they want providers able to speak directly and honestly to their patients,” Wales said in an interview. “This addition would really harm patients potentially, so we felt compelled to do something.”
Last year's vote and the 2019 state Supreme Court decision mean that Kansas lawmakers cannot greatly restrict or ban abortion, in sharp contrast to other states with Republican-controlled Legislatures following the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision against abortion rights in June 2022. The new Kansas law was enacted over the veto of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, an abortion rights supporter. “In this post-Dobbs landscape, providers in Kansas are inundated with a surge of patients traveling from out of state, from states as far as Texas and Mississippi, in search of desperately needed essential health care,” said Alice Wang, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing some of the providers. Wang added that Kansas' restrictions hinder care for those patients.
The medication abortion-reversal regime, touted for more than a decade by abortion opponents, uses doses of a hormone, progesterone, commonly used in attempts to prevent miscarriages. Supporters of the new law — and Kansas' entire Right to Know Act — argue that they are making sure that patients have the information they need to make informed decisions about ending their pregnancies. “With today’s lawsuit, the profit-driven abortion industry has launched an unprecedented attack on a woman’s right to informed consent before an abortion is performed on her,” Danielle Underwood, spokesperson for Kansans for Life, the state’s most influential anti-abortion group, said in a statement.
Anti-abortion groups and lawmakers also are likely to be upset about the lawsuit because of the campaign leading up to the August 2022 vote. The measure on the ballot was a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would have declared that it does not grant a right to abortion. Abortion opponents pitched it as a way to preserve reasonable restrictions. But as written, the Legislature would have gained the power to ban abortion — and that point was emphasized by abortion rights supporters.
Even with the August vote, Underwood said, “Kansans never agreed to give up their basic rights to information, safeguards from a profit-driven industry, and the space and time to change their mind about an abortion they have yet to complete.” Abortion foes warned repeatedly during last year's campaign that without a change in the state constitution, the state risked having even longstanding restrictions reversed. Parts of the law being challenged — including the 24-hour waiting period — were enacted in 1997.
The lawsuit was filed by the Planned Parenthood affiliate, which operates two clinics in the Kansas City area and one in Wichita; another center offering abortion services in the Kansas City area; its owner and another doctor working there. The defendants are state Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican who has vowed to defend state abortion laws; district attorneys in the Kansas City and Wichita areas who would enforce the restrictions; and the top staffer and chairman of the state medical board.
However a district court judge rules, the case is likely eventually to go to the Kansas Supreme Court. The seven justices already are reviewing a ban enacted in 2015 on the most common second-trimester abortion procedure and a 2011 law setting special health and safety regulations for abortion providers. Neither has been enforced.
This story has been corrected to show that the lawsuit was filed in Johnson County in the Kansas City area, not Shawnee County, home to Topeka.
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Another Day, Another Air Quality Alert for Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — For the third consecutive day, Kansas Citians sensitive to poor air quality should stay indoors or limit outdoor activities. The Mid-America Regional Council predicted Kansas City’s air quality index would again reach unhealthy levels Wednesday. Kansas City was placed in the orange ozone alert category, with ozone pollution being the primary threat. KSHB TV reports that there are ways to reduce air pollution. They include using public transit, avoiding the use of a gas-powered push mower and limiting refueling until after 7 pm.
More information about air quality is available on MARC’s website.
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Amber Alert Canceled: Four Children Missing from Topeka Found Safe, Suspect in Custody
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — An Amber Alert was issued Monday afternoon for four children taken from a home in Topeka but the alert was canceled after the children were later found safe. The mother of the children, Dontresha Shabree Thomas, was taken into custody. Authorities believe Thomas took the children, who ranged in age from 5 to 12 years old, at approximately 1 pm. At the time, Topeka police said they had reason to believe the children were in imminent danger.
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Politicians Say They Can Stop Rural Kansas Population Loss but the Decline Continues
HUMBOLDT, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas politicians and local resident booster groups are looking for ways to halt the exodus of young people from rural communities across the state. Paul Cloutier is part of a local group promoting his town of Humboldt, in southeast Kansas. Cloutier says the town has tried to create a hip enclave with a new craft brewery, a new coffee shop and a new campground. But he says those efforts can only go so far to reverse the trend of younger people moving away. He says the town has seen some growth, but it faces a shortage of affordable housing. “It has this vibrant, kind of creative, bright, urban energy and you never expect to see something like this here in a small town. So, we have people who want to move here, but there’s just not enough of a demand yet to justify building new houses," he said. (Read more.)
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Missouri Governor Denies Clemency for Man Facing Execution
UNDATED (AP) — Missouri Governor Mike Parson has declined a clemency request on behalf of a man who faces execution Tuesday evening for killing two jailers in an ill-fated effort to free someone else from a county jail. Forty-two-year-old Michael Tisius would be the third person in Missouri, and the 12th person nationally, to be executed in 2023. He's accused of killing officers Leon Egley and Jason Acton in June 2000. The Republican governor said in a statement Monday that "it's despicable that two dedicated public servants were murdered in a failed attempt to help another criminal evade the law." Parson said, "the state of Missouri will carry out Mr. Tisius's sentences according to the Court's order and deliver justice."
Tisius has at least one pending court appeal. His appeals and his clemency request have focused on several issues. Among them: Tisius was just 19 at the time of the killings; he had been neglected as a child; and a juror at his 2010 resentencing may have been illiterate — in violation of Missouri law. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to halt the execution based on Tisius' age when the crime occurred. A federal judge last week stayed the execution over the claim that a juror was illiterate, but an appeals panel reinstated it. The Supreme Court hasn't yet ruled on that issue.
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KCK Police Investigate Monday Night Shooting
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, are investigating a shooting in the eastern part of the city (near North 5th Street and Elizabeth Ave, near Interstate 70). WDAF TV reports that officers responded to a report of gunshots just after 9 pm and found an adult male suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police have not released the name of the victim or any information on what led to the shooting.
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Kansas Supreme Court Won't Rule on Hog Farm Issue for Now
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — The Kansas Supreme Court says it can’t weigh in on industrial hog farms that skirted a state cap on livestock numbers designed to limit water pollution. In 2017, landowners in Norton and Phillips counties split their land into multiple businesses to raise more hogs near a creek. The state said okay but then the Sierra Club sued. Mimi Moffat oversees litigation at the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club. “We don’t believe this part of state government does a good job protecting its citizens.” The courts say the landowners engaged in “obvious gamesmanship.” But after the lawsuit, the state issued new permits. That made the legal case moot. Now, the Sierra Club is challenging the farms’ new state permits.
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Southwest Chief in Line to Receive Federal Grants for Maintenance and Upgrades
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — Amtrak’s Southwest Chief could be among the beneficiaries of the new federal infrastructure spending plan. The Southwest Chief offers daily service between Chicago and Los Angeles with stops in Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka and four other cities in Kansas. KSHB TV reports that Amtrak applied for more than $715 million in funding from the Federal Railroad Administration for improvement projects. The proposals include several that would help preserve long-distance passenger service on the Southwest Chief. The cross-country line would use the funds for signal modernization, maintenance work on tracks and enhanced safety features at railroad crossings.
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Federal Grants Will Help Eliminate Dozens of Dangerous Rail Crossings; Kansas Gets $27 Million
OMAHA, Neb. (AP/KWCH) — With the rail industry relying on longer and longer trains to cut costs, the Biden administration is handing out $570 million in federal grants to help eliminate dangerous railroad crossings in 32 states, including Kansas. KWCH TV reports that Kansas will receive $27.5 million to reduce train collisions and blocked crossings. The grants announced Monday will contribute to building bridges or underpasses at the sites of more than three dozen crossings that delay traffic and sometimes keep first responders from where help is desperately needed. In some places, trains routinely stretch more than 2 miles long and can block crossings for hours, cutting off access to parts of towns.
In addition to problems associated with blocked crossings, roughly 2,000 collisions are reported at railroad crossings every year. Nearly 250 deaths were recorded last year in car-train crashes. In recent years, the major freight railroads have overhauled their operations to rely on fewer, longer trains so they can use fewer crews and locomotives as part of efforts to cut costs. The railroads insist those changes haven’t made their trains riskier, but regulators and Congress are scrutinizing their operations closely after several recent high-profile derailments. And the problems at rail crossings are well documented.
These grants are part of $3 billion in funding approved in the $1 trillion infrastructure law for these rail crossing projects that will be doled out over the next five years. A number of the 63 projects that will receive grants involve only planning and design work for eliminating crossings in the future, but most of the money will go toward physical improvements at crossings and eliminating longstanding problems. In each of these grants, states and cities — sometimes with the help of the railroads — must cover at least 20% of the project cost.
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More Than $11 Million Awarded for Kansas Transportation Projects
GARDNER, Kan. (KPR) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has announced more than $11 million will be awarded to 14 transportation construction projects across the state. The state grants are made possible through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) Cost Share Program. Kelly stopped in Gardner Tuesday, where she praised the South Center Trail as an example of how KDOT's Cost Share Program can benefit a community. Kelly said enhancements to the city’s trail system will support safer and improved access to schools, health care, recreational amenities and housing. The program was created as part of the Kelly administration’s 10-year Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program, also known as IKE.
Spring 2023 Cost Share recipients are:
City of Gardner - South Center Trail
City of Goodland - Caldwell Avenue improvements
City of Hazelton - Main Street renovation
City of Leoti - Earl Street improvements
City of Oakley - Freeman Avenue improvements
City of Sedgwick - Sidewalk improvements
City of Washington - East 2nd Street rehabilitation
City of Williamsburg - City Park sidewalk
City of Winfield - Pike Road improvements
Franklin County - Old 50 Highway widening project – Phase One
Kingman County - Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) overlay on RS 363
Leavenworth County - 235th Street roadway improvement project
Meade County - Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) overlay on routes near Fowler
Shawnee County - SW Auburn Road and SW 29th Street improvements
More information about KDOT’s Cost Share Program can be found here.
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More Kansas Families Now Eligible for Education Enrichment Funds
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS/KMUW) — More Kansas families are now eligible for a $1,000 payment to help fight learning loss. Governor Laura Kelly's administration started the Kansas Education Enrichment Program in January as a way to help parents pay for educational services like tutoring or music lessons. Funding comes from the state’s share of federal COVID-relief money. Now, the program is expanding income eligibility. It will include families whose household income is less than 300% of the federal poverty level. That’s about $90,000 for a family of four. Parents can use the $1,000 award to pay for curriculum materials, school supplies, academic camps or other education-related expenses. They can’t use it to pay for private school tuition. More information is available at keep.ks.gov.
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Concerns Raised About New Human Smuggling Law in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Members of the Hispanic community and their advocates are concerned about a new Kansas law that could target households of mixed-citizenship status. Democratic State Senator Mary Ware, of Wichita, met recently with members of the Hispanic community to explain some of the law’s implications. Ware says she was told that victims of alleged trafficking would be handed over to federal immigration authorities. “I said, ‘Woah wait a minute, are you telling me that after we rescue this person from a trafficker, we are re-victimizing them and handing them over to ICE?’ Okay, that’s enough for me," she said. The law’s language vaguely defines human smuggling and how a person should know someone’s documented status. Advocates for immigrants say that can be used against households with mixed-citizenship status. Senator Ware voted against the bill but she and other opponents lost that vote and the law goes into effect on July 1st.
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President Biden: KC Chiefs "Building a Dynasty" as He Hosts Super Bowl Champs at White House
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says the Kansas City Chiefs are "building a dynasty." Biden welcomed the Chiefs to the White House Monday to mark their Super Bowl victory in February. Speaking on the South Lawn, Biden praised the team for playing with "the real joy of the game and love for each other and the great city you represent." He also praised the team for their charitable work off the field, saying, "as these guys know about football, they know about life and how to use their platform to make a difference. "
Biden joked that first lady Jill Biden, a "rabid" Philadelphia fan, is still not over the dramatic end to the game, which included a controversial holding penalty against the Eagles that set the Chiefs up for their game-winning field goal. The president added, "I have to be careful what I say today," even though his wife was out of the country. Biden led the crowd in a moment of silence to mark the death Sunday of Norma Hunt, wife of the late team founder Lamar Hunt, saying he was sending "our condolences to the entire Hunt family."
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the game's most valuable player, and tight end Travis Kelce presented Biden with a personalized Kansas City Chiefs jersey before posing for a team photo with the president. Before the ceremony, the team was given a tour of the White House.
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Kansas Doctors Warn of Cancer Drug Shortage
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — A national shortage of cancer drugs is forcing some Kansas doctors to ration medication. The Kansas News Service reports that supply chain issues have squeezed supplies of more than a dozen chemotherapy drugs. The shortage is hurting treatment for breast, bladder and gynecological cancers. Kyla Bidne, an oncology pharmacist at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Cancer Center, says its drug shipments are sporadic, and doctors are cutting patients’ chemo doses by up to 10% to stretch supplies. “I lose sleep over this," she said. "These drugs are part of so many different cancer treatments, so it’s a very dire shortage.” She says doctors could need to delay some treatments if the problem continues.
Bidne says the shortage is the worst she’s seen in her 20 years as an oncology pharmacist. “One of the biggest issues is we really don’t know from day to day when we’re going to receive a drug or if we’re going to receive drug, so we have to plan for the worst and hope for the best," she said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering temporarily importing drugs from unauthorized overseas manufacturers to help mitigate the shortage.
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Kansas Total Tax Collections Up in May but Down Nearly 6% from May 2022
TOPEKA, Kan. (JC Post) — Total tax collections in Kansas for May 2023 were $857.3 million. That's nearly $39 million above projections. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced last week that the state was in a strong position to weather any future financial storms. The JC Post reports that Kelly also talked about future tax cuts, saying the state was in a position to pass responsible, affordable tax cuts next session. While tax collections were up in May, they were down 5.8% from May of last year.
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Kansas Senator to Speak in France During D-Day Anniversary
WASHINGTON (KPR) — Kansas Senator Jerry Moran will deliver remarks Tuesday during a ceremony commemorating the 79th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion in Normandy, France. The annual ceremony honors the 9,386 American soldiers buried in Normandy and the 1,557 listed on the Wall of the Missing and pays tribute to the largest and most ambitious military operation in modern history. The D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944, was planned and executed by general and future President Dwight D. Eisenhower, of Abilene. It was the largest combined air and amphibious assault in human history and a turning point for the Allies in World War II.
“This patch of earth at Normandy holds a place in the hearts of families across the United States,” said Moran. "On D-Day, we reflect on what American, British, and Allied personnel dared to accomplish, and through their sacrifices, achieved on behalf of all of mankind.” Other speakers at the ceremony include General Mark Milley, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
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Kansas Man Arrested for Allegedly Stabbing Father
RENO COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) — A Reno County man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing his father. KSNW TV reports that on Saturday, a man with stab wounds was dropped off at a gas station in McPherson. The person who dropped off the man told gas station employees that the man needed medical attention. The son of the victim was later arrested on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder. The dad was transferred to a Wichita hospital and is now recovering.
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Agents Arrest 3 KC Men, Seize Machine Guns, Other Firearms
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — Federal agents seized dozens of firearms, including machine guns, during the arrest of three Kansas City-area men last week. Authorities say the three men are now charged with conspiracy to traffic firearms and drugs. Prosecutors say an informant told investigators that the men operated several stash houses in the metro where they stored weapons and illegal drugs. Court documents show firearms were sold to an undercover officer or a confidential informant. The weapons included machine guns and automatic pistols, some with missing serial numbers. WDAF TV reports that 23-year-old Alejandro Zavala and 30-year-old Cody Bonhomme, both of Kansas City, and 22-year-old Kaleb Acuna, of Independence, Missouri are all charged with conspiracy to traffic firearms and drugs. The three men are currently held in federal custody after making initial court appearances last week.
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KC Man Gets 30 Years for $10 Million Conspiracy to Distribute Meth
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — A Kansas City man has been sentenced for his role in a nearly $10 million conspiracy to distribute almost 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine. Federal prosecutors say 39-year-old Joshua A. Brown was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on May 31 to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Brown to forfeit to the government more than $31,000 which represents his proceeds from illegal drug trafficking. Last year, Brown pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute meth. According to court documents, Brown was responsible for the distribution of nearly 3.8 kilograms of meth during the conspiracy.
Brown has also been charged with the murder of a victim identified in court documents as “T.D.” in the District Court of Leavenworth County. That case is currently pending. The body of the victim, who suffered a single gunshot wound to the back of the head, was discovered on March 12, 2019.
Brown has nine prior felony convictions for possession of stolen property, aggravated battery, criminal use of weapons, distribution of certain drugs, possession of drug contraband in prison, fleeing law enforcement, resisting arrest, creating a substantial risk of serious injury or death and unlawful use of a weapon. Brown also has been convicted of 20 misdemeanor crimes. Brown is the final defendant among 18 defendants who have been sentenced in two separate indictments that resulted from this investigation.
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Fish Kill Forces Olathe to Postpone Fishing Derby
OLATHE, Kan. (WDAF) — A popular Johnson County fishing event was canceled over the weekend after thousands of fish died. The Olathe Parks and Recreation Department postponed a fishing derby at Cedar Lake Saturday morning because thousands of fish had been killed. City officials say the deaths were the result of a "naturally occurring fish kill" but also say they are working with state wildlife officials to investigate the exact cause. WDAF TV reports that people living near Cedar Lake may notice a bad smell for a period of time.
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Medicaid Recipients in Kansas Urged to Update Information
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas officials are urging more than 500,000 people on the state’s Medicaid program rolls to update their address information as soon as possible. The request comes following the first two months of the state reviewing all KanCare recipients for eligibility. This spring, states started reviewing the eligibility of people on the health care program. For three years during the pandemic, people were auto renewed. Kansas Department of Health and Environment Medicaid Operations Deputy Director Christine Osterlund says those years of auto renewals left many people with outdated information in the system. “Most of our members have not been keeping their contact information up to date (and a) a lot of other information that is required for Medicaid eligibility," she said. Kansans can go online to KDHE's website to update their information.
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Officials Taking Bids to Audit Kansas 911 System
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas officials are reviewing bids to audit the state’s 911 system. The effort comes after a series of system failures several years ago. Two companies submitted bids of $78,800 to $95,000 to study problems in the emergency line system. An audit of the 911 system in 2018 spotted ways it could be disrupted. The state experienced major outages several years ago, including an outage that lasted more than three hours across Southern Kansas in 2020. But there hasn’t been a major outage reported since 2021, and recent criticism of emergency services has focused on slow police response times in Wichita and Lawrence. The audit report is slated for completion by the end of the year.
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Find Out Where Kids Can Eat Free in Lawrence and Topeka This Summer
LAWRENCE, Kan. (The Lawrence Times) — Children ages 18 and younger will be able to eat a free lunch on weekdays at six locations in Lawrence throughout the summer. The Lawrence Times reports that the program will begin June 5 and last several weeks. Participants must eat their lunches on-site, a requirement that had been lifted during 2021 and 2022 because of COVID. Adults can purchase lunches for $5 each. The Lawrence Public Library will have lunches available from 11 am to noon on weekdays through Friday, August 4.
All of the following locations will have lunches available on weekdays through Friday, July 28:
• Holcom Park, from noon to 1 pm
• Broken Arrow Elementary School, from 12:30 to 1 pm
• New York Elementary, from 12:30 to 1 pm
• Sunset Hill Elementary, from 12:30 to 1 pm
• Woodlawn Elementary, from 12:30 to 1 pm
There will also be Pinckney playground breakfast playdates offering free meals for kids from 9 to 9:30 am on Fridays only, June 9 through July 28. Meal sites will be closed June 19 and July 3-4 for the holidays. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that students in Shawnee County will also have the chance to eat free lunches this summer.
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Topeka Zoo Celebrates Elephant's Asian Birthday
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — The Topeka Zoo celebrated a major birthday yesterday (SUN). Cora, an Asian elephant, celebrated her 65th birthday with confetti, animal crackers, and even cake. KSNT TV reports that Topeka Zoo officials say Cora has already lived past life expectancy. That’s usually about 50 or 55 years, but zookeepers say Asian elephants tend to live longer with access to healthcare and medical supplies that they would not have in the wild. The oldest Asian elephant on record lived until his mid-eighties. Zoo officials say Cora is in excellent health and should be around for her next birthday and years beyond.
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Kansas Boys State Program Teaches Civic Engagement
MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) — 180 Kansas high school students are learning how state government operates by running their own mock government during a week-long interactive program called Boys' State, held at Kansas State University in Manhattan. WIBW TV reports that the American Legion program gives select high school students a chance to practice how city, county and state government works. Tom Wierman, executive director of the Boys' State of Kansas, says students run the fictional state of Kansas that they have at Boys' State, electing a governor and all the other elected positions. Wierman said there is one skill in particular that he hopes every delegate can develop during the week-long event: “Confidence." The 84th session of the American Legion Boys' State of Kansas runs from June 5-11. This is the 30th consecutive year the program was held at K-State.
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What to Know About the Case of the Missing Missouri ER Doctor Found Dead in Arkansas
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The case of a Missouri doctor whose body was found in an Arkansas lake more than a week after he was reported missing remains shrouded in mystery. Forty-nine-year-old Dr. John Forsyth, an emergency room doctor in Cassville, Missouri, was last heard from on May 21. His body was found with an apparent gunshot wound in Beaver Lake in northwest Arkansas on May 30. Authorities say an autopsy was done but they have not released a cause of death. His family says Forsyth, a divorced father of eight, had recently become engaged and was happier than they had seen him in many years.
WHAT'S KNOWN SO FAR
Dr. John Forsyth, 49, was last seen alive on May 21, when security cameras in the parking lot of a public pool in Cassville show him getting into a vehicle, after leaving his own car unlocked with his wallet, two phones, a laptop and other items inside. That's according to his brother, Richard Forsyth, who said the doctor had texted his new fiancee that morning saying he would see her soon. His car was found later that day. Investigators haven't said who was driving the other vehicle. A search began after the emergency room physician didn't show up for his May 21 shift at Mercy Hospital in Cassville. There was no sign of Forsyth until a kayaker noticed his body in Arkansas on May 30, at a spot on Beaver Lake some 20 miles (32 kilometers) away from his last known location. His body had an apparent gunshot wound, authorities in Arkansas say. Although Benton County Coroner Daniel Oxford said an autopsy was completed Thursday, the results won't be released until the investigation is over.
WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN HIS LIFE?
His brother, Richard Forsyth, and other family members say John Forsyth was a devoted father to his eight kids and seemed happier than he'd been in a long time. They say he never missed a day of work, and would often sleep in an RV outside the hospital when he was on call. His family rejects any suggestion he took his own life. Newly engaged, Forsyth was also recently divorced. On May 10 of this year, a judge ordered Forsyth to pay his ex-wife $3,999 in child support a month, plus another $15,000 a month. Missouri court records show he was married and divorced twice to the same woman between 1995 and 2022. Both his brother and Ryan Ricketts, the ex-wife's divorce attorney, say the split was amicable. The pair initially married in Clark County, Nevada. He filed for divorce in April 2019 but the couple remarried in July 2020 in Greene County, Missouri. Court records show that the woman filed a second divorce petition in April 2022, in Lawrence County, Missouri.
QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN
Authorities have not said whether they believe Forsyth was killed or took his own life. Initially, when Forsyth's empty car was found, investigators said there were no signs of foul play. But that was before the body was found. Shannon Jenkins, spokesperson for the Benton County Sheriff's Department, said Friday that "there is no immediate threat to the public," but declined to provide more details. She said no further information would be released until the investigation is completed. It's also unclear what Forsyth's connection might be to the second vehicle seen on pool surveillance video. Authorities have not confirmed any information about the video, including if it was taken before or after Forsyth may have texted his fiancee. There's also no information on how Forsyth got from Cassville to Beaver Lake, when and where he died, or if investigators have found a weapon.
FORSYTH'S BACKGROUND
Forsyth was born in Idaho in 1974, according to online records. He was the third of seven children, his sister Gina Forsyth-Farlaino said. He was the father of eight children. His former wife, who lives in Idaho, was given custody of the couple's minor children, but John Forsyth continued to have a strong relationship with them, his brother and the woman's divorce attorney said. Forsyth's ex-wife did not wish to be interviewed, Ricketts said. "She is just devastated and — I mean, just shocked," Ricketts said. "She never saw any of this kind of thing coming."
FORSYTH'S MEDICAL BACKGROUND
Online records for the state of Missouri show that Forsyth was licensed as a doctor and surgeon in the state since July 1, 2005 and that his license was active. He'd been an emergency physician at Mercy Hospital in Cassville for nearly 15 years. He received his medical degree from Ross University, which is headquartered in Barbados. Online court records show Forsyth settled a wrongful death lawsuit against him Lawrence County, Missouri, in March 2022, but the settlement terms were confidential. He was initially named as a defendant in a wrongful death case, also in Lawrence County, in 2006. But he and another doctor were dismissed from the case before a local hospital settled the case for $100,000. Records show that in August 2015, he agreed to a public reprimand from the state Board of Registration for the Medical Arts for not adequately and completely maintaining records for two patients.
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Chiefs Superfan Placed on KC's Most Wanted List After Alleged Bank Robbery, Ankle Monitor Removal
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Fox News) — A Chiefs superfan is listed as the Kansas City area's fifth-most wanted fugitive. Fox News reports that Xavier "ChiefsAholic" Babudar, better known to Chiefs fans as the guy who wears a KC Wolf costume to home games, is accused of robbing an Oklahoma bank in December. Babudar is allegedly on the run after removing his ankle monitor ahead of a court appearance in March. If Babudar is found, he will be held on $1 million bail because he's accused of removing his ankle monitor.
The KC Crime Stoppers' website says Babudar is on the list for "failure to appear in court, warrant for bank robbery." Babudar was scheduled to make a court appearance in Bixby, Oklahoma, to be arraigned on charges from the robbery but failed to appear in court. The superfan was arrested for allegedly robbing a bank in Bixby but pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on bond in February. According to ESPN, Babudar wasn’t at the Tulsa hotel where he was staying, and his monitoring device was found in the woods nearby.
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This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Tom Parkinson and Kaye McIntyre. Our headlinesare generally posted by 10 am weekdays and updated throughout the day. These ad-free headlines are made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on Twitter.