NEOSHO RAPIDS, Kan. (AP) — Human remains found more than six months ago in Lyon County still haven’t been identified.

A skull was found April 29 near the Neosho River just outside of Neosho Rapids. Lyon County officers later found more remains.

The remains were wrapped in a bed sheet and comforter. A digital watch also was found.

An autopsy indicated the remains were a male who might have been of mixed race. He was between 5-feet-4 and 5-feet-6 and possibly of middle-to-late age. His long hair was blonde, white or gray. The man also had scoliosis.

The man apparently died between 2013 and 2016.

Lyon County Sheriff Jeff Cope said says a private lab is testing DNA to help with identification and national organizations for missing people have been notified.

GEARY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect who had been avoiding police for over a year.

Just after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday police responded to a residence in Grandview Plaza for a parking complaint, according to a media release.

As the officer approached the residence he noticed 39-year-old Jennifer Daymude inside. She was wanted on two outstanding Geary County District Court warrants that were issued in July of 2016.

She has previous convictions for theft and making a false writing, according the Kansas Department of Corrections and had absconded in October of 2016.

Police reported that they had received numerous tips from the public that Daymude was still in the Grandview Plaza area and was evading arrest.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma’s former lead seismologist says he felt pressured by an official at the University of Oklahoma to not link the state’s surge in earthquakes to oil and gas production.

The Tulsa World reports that Austin Holland’s sworn testimony came in a lawsuit filed by a resident against two oil companies for damages sustained during an earthquake in 2011. The quake also was felt in Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas.

University President David Boren and the former dean of university’s Earth and Energy College deny Holland was pressured by the school.

In his testimony, Holland says he also was reprimanded for helping publish a peer-reviewed journal article on how to cope with man-made earthquakes.

Boren told the newspaper he couldn’t respond to specific comments Holland made because he hasn’t seen the testimony.

HOLTON, Kan. (AP) — A man whose cases sharply divided his small Kansas town was given more jail time by a judge who departed from a plea deal.

Jackson County District Judge Norbert Marek on Wednesday sentenced 23-year-old Jacob Ewing to a total of 7.5 years for attempted rape of a woman and child exploitation related to images he had of an underage girl.

Ewing was sentenced in September to 27 years for raping and sodomizing two other women.

Ewing’s attorney and the prosecutor had agreed the sentences could be served concurrently but Marek departed from that agreement.

The sentencing ends a saga that roiled the town of Holton for more than a year. When Ewing was first arrested, many people in the town supported him and criticized his accusers.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities a investigating an armed robbery and asking for help to identify a suspect.

On Saturday, an unknown suspect entered the Payless Shoe Source in the 2100 Block of north Amidon, Wichita, according to a social media report.

The suspect indicated he had a gun, and demanded money.

Money was given to the suspect who fled in a dark green mid to late 90’s car. If anyone has any information about this case or knows the identity of the suspect please call Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

By MADELINE FOX

Officials with the Kansas Department for Children and Families responded Tuesday to concerns about destroyed evidence in child abuse cases during a legislative task force meeting.

After a Kansas City Star investigation suggested DCF employees had shredded documents regarding children in state care, an agency official told lawmakers that the claims by former DCF deputy director Dianne Keech were inaccurate.

“During Mrs. Keech’s time with the department, she claims the agency’s attorney directed staff to keep information from the public’s reach by a shredding of all notes. This is not an accurate statement,” said Steve Green, director of policy and legislative affairs for DCF. “Ms. Keech is likely referring to direction given to staff that they should not include personal notes in case files for incident review. … This is not an effort to keep information from the public, but rather an effort to ensure the file only contains facts, observations pertinent to the case.”

Sen. Laura Kelly, who had asked Green about the claims, said she was unsatisfied with the response to questions about the destruction of case file notes.

“They still have not answered my question,” said Kelly, a Topeka Democrat. “My question was very specifically, ‘Have social workers been asked to shred notes that they have taken during meetings on kids in custody?’ I don’t have the answer to that question from them yet.”

DCF has been confronted about child welfare problems during meetings of the task force, which legislators established earlier this year to examine issues with the state’s privatized foster care system. In the last few years, Kansas has repeatedly set records for the number of children in foster care.

During the September meeting, task force members learned that some children taken into custody were sleeping in contractors’ offices because placements could not be immediately found. At last month’s meeting DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore told task force member she was not aware of specific cases of foster kids running away from care.

Gilmore, who did not attend Tuesday’s meeting, announced earlier this month that she will retire Dec. 1.

In response to last month’s concerns about missing kids, DCF provided an updated count Tuesday to the task force. Officials said 77 kids were missing from care as of Nov. 12, with the largest number of runaways ages 15 to 18.

Madeline Fox is a reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can reach her on Twitter @maddycfox.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities continue investigating the murder of a Kansas woman in her home. On Wednesday they identified the victim and her boyfriend suspect.

Just after 10:30p.m. Monday police were dispatched to residence in 2200 Block of North Park Ridge in Wichita in reference to property found by Andover Police that belonged to 42-year-old Perla Rodriguez, according Wichita Lt. Todd Ojile. Officers did not make contact with anyone at her residence and returned to service.

Just after 2a.m. Tuesday, the Olathe Police Department contacted authorities in Wichita in reference to a suspicious character call. Olathe Police had located a vehicle and property belonging to Rodriguez.

Police returned to her residence and found her in the home dead from blunt force trauma, according to Ojile.

Police in Olathe arrested a 37-year-old Travis Becker on charges in Johnson County. On Tuesday, Wichita Police interviewed him. He reportedly had been dating Rodriguez for several months, according to Ojile. Becker is being held on a $250,000 bond for requested charges of first-degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County Jail booking report.

Rodriguez was the director of outreach services for the Wichita Sexual Assault Center. On Wednesday, they issued a statement.

“WASAC staff and board are saddened by the loss of our coworker and friend, Perla Rodriguez. Perla was a critical member of our team providing guidance for the education and outreach we do in our community. We miss her terribly. Our love and support goes out to those who knew her and especially to her family. We are grateful to our community who have reached out to our staff during this difficult time with thoughts of care and compassion. Your support means so much to us and further demonstrates how much Perla meant to WASAC and our community.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State agencies have asked for more than $274 in new funding for next year just months after Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback called the current budget bloated.

The agencies are collectively seeking a 4.1 percent increase in spending in next year’s general fund budget. Preliminary budget requests for the next fiscal year became public when agencies presented them to a legislative committee last week.

One agency seeks money to restore earlier cuts to universities. Another wants money to eliminate waiting lists for people with disabilities. A third wants more money for social workers.

The requests do not include additional spending for schools.

Legislative leaders have created a committee after the Kansas Supreme Court decision last month which struck down the state’s education funding formula as unconstitutional.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and asking the public for information.

Just after 1:30a.m., Wednesday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1400 Block of East Gidley Street in Wichita, according to Lt. Todd Ojile.

Upon arrival, police found a 51-year-old Wichita man with a single gunshot wound lying in the street.  An investigation revealed the man had come to visit individuals at the residence when an unknown vehicle with unknown suspects drove up.

Words were exchanged between the man and those in the vehicle who shot and killed him, according to Ojile.

Police do not have a description of the vehicle or the suspects and believe the victim was targeted in some way. They did not release the victim’s name.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Wichita Police.

Wednesday’s shooting is Wichita’s 28th homicide of the year. It comes a day after a woman’s body was discovered in a Wichita home in an earlier homicide.

LENEXA, Kan. (AP) – Preliminary autopsy results confirm that dismembered human remains found inside a suburban Kansas City storage unit are those of a woman whose husband was living in the unit with his 4-day-old baby and 2-year-old child.

An arrest affidavit for 35-year-old Justin Rey was released Tuesday. He’s jailed on $1 million bond in Johnson County, Kansas, on child endangerment charges.

He’s not charged in the death of his wife, whom family identified as Jessica Monteiro Rey.

The dismembered remains were discovered Oct. 24 inside a cooler and tote at a U-Haul Moving and Storage facility in Lenexa. Surveillance video showed Rey pulling a cooler when he checked out of a Kansas City, Missouri, hotel one day earlier.

A search warrant says Rey told authorities his wife killed herself after giving birth.