GREAT BEND – A Kansas man was sentenced Monday to 21 years in prison after pleading guilty to second degree intentional murder, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

Chaz Stephens, 26, Hoisington, pleaded guilty in April to second degree intentional murder in connection with the March 2018 death of his girlfriend’s two-year-old daughter in Hoisington.

Authoriteis found the body of Iviona Lewis northwest of Hoisington.

The child was last seen four days earlier on a Sunday at her home in Hosington. She was not reported missing until Tuesday afternoon.

Hoisington Police Chief Kenton Doze said the girl’s mother was visiting her brother in Great Bend, and the delay in reporting Iviona’s disappearance was caused by confusion over who was supposed to be caring for her.

The case was investigated by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Hoisington Police Department and the Barton County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from several other law enforcement agencies. Assistant Attorney General Adam Zentner and former Assistant Attorney General Lyndzie Carter of Schmidt’s office prosecuted the case.