Update 9:39 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19

JOHNSON COUNTY – The Overland Park Police Department reported that Lila Mertz was located safely tonight, and is being reunited with her family. The statewide silver alert has been canceled.

 Thank you for your assistance in getting the word out to the public. Any additional inquiries should be directed to the Overland Park Police Department.

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JOHNSON COUNTY – The Overland Park Police Department requested that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Kansas City, Kan. woman.

The whereabouts of Lila Mertz, 67, are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate her.

Her family last spoke to her in late July and reported her missing on August 16^th 2019 with the Overland Park Police Department. Ms. Mertz resides in Kansas City, Kansas in the 1600 block of N 63^rd Pl. Ms. Mertz vehicle, a gold 2000 Toyota Camry (Kansas license tag is 423 GCH) was last seen on August 8^th 2019 near 39^th Street and Prospect in Kansas City, Missouri.

If you see Mertz, or have information about her whereabouts, please immediately contact the Overland Park Police Department at 913-344-8742.

Rolling Hills Zoo announced the successful birth of three Amur tiger cubs born Wednesday morning to mother Andrea and father Dhenuka.

Amur tigers are classified as an endangered species on the IUCN list. Andrea and Dhenuka came to Rolling Hills Zoo on a breeding recommendation by the Tiger Species Survival Plan developed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, of which Rolling Hills Zoo is an accredited member.

This is the third litter for Andrea, who is 11 years old. Born at the St. Louis Zoo, Andrea came to Rolling Hills Zoo from the Indianapolis Zoological Society.

Dhenuka, nine years old, is a first-time father. Born in Milwaukee County Zoological Garden, he came to Rolling Hills Zoo from the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and weighs in at 414 lbs. Amur tigers are the largest cats in the world.

Currently, the tigers and their cubs are off-exhibit and will be so for a while depending upon how well the cubs and their parents do in the coming weeks.

“We are on tiger time, and mother and cubs will let us know when they are ready to do certain things,” said Bob Jenkins, RHZ’s executive director. “We anticipate that the cubs will be off exhibit for approximately two months, possibly longer.”

Staff are constantly monitoring their status throughout the day by direct observation and security cameras.

The common litter size for tigers is 2 to 4 cubs, and normal birth weight is between 1.75 and 3.5 pounds. Since their birth, the cubs have been bonding with their mother and have not been weighed. When keepers have an opportunity to weigh them, they will also be able to determine their sex.

Like other cats, the cubs were born with their eyes closed and it will be two weeks before their eyes open. Tigers are born with all of their original stripes and they won’t change as they grow to adulthood. No two tigers will have the same pattern.

Rolling Hills Zoo is a 65-acre zoological park which includes a world-class wildlife museum. The zoo is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is conducting a death investigation after a man drowned in the Verdigris River on Friday afternoon.

According to a KBI media release, just after 1:30p.m. Friday, the Coffeyville Police Dept. requested KBI assistance to investigate a drowning that occurred following a police pursuit.

Preliminary information suggests that on Aug. 16 at approximately 12:20 p.m., the South Coffeyville, Okla. Police Department received a call from a citizen who spotted an ATV that had been reported stolen from the Montgomery County Fair on Thursday night.

The ATV was first observed in Kansas, headed South on U.S. Highway 169 toward the Oklahoma border. An officer from the South Coffeyville Police Department began pursuing the ATV at a distance, and authorities from Kansas were notified. The officer saw the ATV turn north near 500 E. 1400 Rd., and travel through a field toward the Verdigris River.  Once the officer caught up, he discovered that the driver of the ATV had crashed into a tree. The officer then spotted the man struggling in the nearby Verdigris River.

The Coffeyville Police Department, the Coffeyville Fire Department, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

Authorities threw ropes to the man to try to help him. An officer from the Coffeyville Police Department, and a member of the Coffeyville Fire Department entered the water and tried to rescue the man, but were unsuccessful. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

At this time police have not positively identified the man, but expect that this will occur during the autopsy that is scheduled for Tuesday. The deceased man was a white male in his 20s.

SALINA — A 74-year-old Salina man is out $19,000 after getting caught up in a scam on eBay.

Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said Monday that the man recently attempted to purchase a 2012 Winnebago recreational vehicle he found on eBay.

The man wired $19,000 to the alleged seller, but the RV was never delivered, Forrester said.

The man contacted eBay personnel who told him it was a scam, Forrester said.

— Salina Post

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a weekend arrest.

Just after 8a.m. Saturday, police responded to the 4200 block of SW 34th Street where a resident reported their house had been struck by two bullets, according to Lt. Jerry Monasmith.

In looking officers began to back track from the direction of where the gunshots had been fired. In doing so an apartment near 34th and Gage was discovered to have several holes which clearly showed shots had been fired from inside the residence.

An occupant of the apartment came out and was detained by officers.

After the execution of a search warrant, police arrested 32-year-old  Gwyndell Declerk and transported him to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges that include Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Criminal Discharge of Firearm; Recklessly at an Occupied Dwelling, Felony Criminal Damage to Property and Possession of Marijuana
There were no injuries reported from the gun fire.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the victim.

Just before 3:30 a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a drive-by shooting at an apartment complex in the 2300 block of N. Woodlawn in Wichita, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.

Upon arrival, officers located Elbert Costello, Jr., 22, Wichita, in the parking lot who had been shot multiple times, according to Lt. Chad Beard, Commander of the Wichita Police Department gang felony assault unit.

Costello was pronounced dead on the scene. A second 24-year-old male victim arrived by private vehicle at a local hospital with gunshot wounds. He was hospitalized and in serious condition, according to Wheeler.

The preliminary investigation shows that there was an exchange of gunfire between two groups of people in the parking lot of the complex. There was damage to some of the apartment buildings and vehicles in the parking lot, but no other injuries were reported.

Detectives are actively working to identify the individuals involved in this incident. Police have released no suspect descriptions. This shooting was not a random incident, and it is believed to be gang-related.  

It is the 19th homicide in Wichita this year, according to Lt. Beard.

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SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and looking for suspects.

Just before 3:30 a.m. Sunday,  police were dispatched to a drive-by shooting at an apartment complex in the 2300 block of N. Woodlawn in Wichita, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.

Upon arrival, officers located a 22-year-old male in the parking lot who had been shot multiple times. He was pronounced dead on the scene. A second 24-year-old male victim arrived by private vehicle at a local hospital with gunshot wounds. He was hospitalized and in serious condition, according to Wheeler.

The preliminary investigation shows that there was an exchange of gunfire between two groups of people in the parking lot of the complex. There was damage to some of the apartment buildings and vehicles in the parking lot, but no other injuries were reported.

Detectives are actively working to identify the individuals involved in this incident. Police have released no suspect descriptions. This shooting was not a random incident, and it is believed to be gang-related.