WICHITA (AP) — Retired Wichita police Lt. Ken Landwehr, who supervised more than 600 homicide investigations during his career, has died at the age of 59.
KAKE-TV reported Landwehr died Monday at his home. Police Chief Norman Williams said Landwehr had kidney cancer.
Landwehr retired in 2012 after a 35-year career with the Wichita Police Department.
He investigated many of Wichita’s most infamous homicides and was credited with breaking the BTK serial killer case. The suspect, Dennis Rader, was arrested in February 2005 and pleaded guilty to killing 10 people in the Wichita area between 1974 and 1991.
Landwehr also led investigations that led to arrests in two quadruple homicides within a week of each other in 2000.
WICHITA (AP) — Wichita police say the city’s residents can feel good about having one of the lowest homicide totals in a decade last year with 16.
But it’s the four that remain unsolved that have local law enforcement frustrated because nobody is stepping forward with information that could bring the killers to justice.
The Wichita Eagle reports two of the unsolved homicides were gang-related, while the other two involved gang members.
Two of the victims — 27-year-old James Gary Jr. and 25-year-old Kolby Hopkins — were shot in the midst of large crowds.
Aaron Bohannon was with Hopkins when he was fatally shot in the city’s Old Town district. Bohannon says it’s tough to start the healing process without knowing who is responsible for taking his friend’s life.
WICHITA (AP) — Police are looking for a man who was in a silver car near where a Wichita woman was robbed after she died at a fast-food restaurant.
Danielle Zimmerman died Dec. 29 after suffering a brain aneurysm while pulling into a Taco Bell, causing her truck to hit a speaker in the drive-through lane. Someone took her purse, phone and wedding ring before help arrived.
Wichita police said the restaurant’s manager saw a man get out of a silver car and apparently approach Zimmerman’s truck. By the time the manager got outside, the man was pulling out of the parking lot.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest in the case.
WICHITA — John A. See hopes his gift of $1 million to Wichita State University not only will recognize exceptional projects, but also will spur private investors and others to back them.
“I can help bring attention to the projects that deserve it,” See said, “but I hope this gift will attract additional investors and supporters to these projects once they are brought into awareness.”
John A. See, left, with James Rhatigan, WSU consultant, and Linda Constable, See’s attorney, has made a $1 million commitment to Wichita State to encourage and reward outstanding projects.
See has given $1 million to establish the John A. See Research Award, a prize for WSU faculty and students who are conducting outstanding research or producing other significant work, the WSU Foundation announced. Awards would be made as warranted and could vary widely in amount.
Though not an alumnus of Wichita State, See has been a generous supporter, saying he recognizes the importance of higher education and believes in WSU’s commitment to growth and pioneering work. In 2011, he created the John A. See Engineering Scholarship, providing nine scholarships a year to juniors and seniors. In 2007, he created the John A. See Endowed Health and Emergency Fund, which helps students with emergency medical expenses not covered by insurance.
James Rhatigan, WSU Foundation consultant who is a neighbor and friend of See’s, said See approached him at a neighborhood get-together last September to say he was interested in making a new gift to Wichita State.
“I asked Mr. See if he had an amount in mind,” Rhatigan said. “He said, ‘I think I could do $1 million.’ I said, ‘You have my attention.’”
See, who was director of flight test and prototype development at Boeing until his retirement in 1985, told Rhatigan he was interested in supporting research and other work
aimed at improving the quality of life for many. Rhatigan knew that a number of faculty members at WSU were engaged in that kind of work.
Initially, Rhatigan submitted three research projects to See to illustrate the kind of exciting work that could be supported with his investment. While impressed by those projects, See eventually chose to create a fund to inspire and reward a variety of projects, which would be selected by the university.
“Although it’s expected that most awards would go to faculty doing advanced scholarly work, Mr. See wants any idea to be eligible for consideration, including that done by students,” Rhatigan said.
WSU President John Bardo called See’s gift exciting and influential.
“This is the kind of award that helps create a campus culture that very strongly endorses research with significant impact,” Bardo said. “We are trying to encourage our faculty to step out and do something really big, something that creates value beyond the campus. This award really speaks to that.”
Although he was born in Nevada, See grew up in New York. He was married for 60 years to Jane See, and has a daughter and a grandson. His son, John See Jr., died in 2012.
WICHITA (AP) — The Kansas African American Museum in Wichita is planning a series of events on the Saturday before the Jan. 20 observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Wichita Eagle reported memorial events honoring the slain civil rights leader have been held in Wichita for more than 30 years, drawing more than 700 people annually.
Activities scheduled for Jan. 18 include a pancake breakfast, a community-wide parade and a celebration that will include a gospel concert.
Museum executive director Mark McCormick says the program was designed to make the holiday more of an American holiday than an African-American holiday. He says the museum is trying to be “more purposeful and intentional about being inclusive.”
WICHITA (AP) — The director of the Sedgwick County Zoo says the organization is considering an $11.5 million fundraising campaign to build a new elephant exhibit, along with bringing four more elephants to the facility in Wichita.
Zoo director Mark Reed says the county’s zoological society is expected to announce the campaign soon. He says the zoo wants to raise a majority of the money before taking the campaign public.
The Wichita Eagle reported the campaign would be the largest in the zoo’s history.
If the zoo doesn’t bring in more elephants, it might lose the two it already has because of new accreditation standards for the country’s zoos.
WICHITA (AP) — Wichita police are investigating the death of a homeless man, who they say might have frozen to death under a bridge.
Police found the man’s body under the bridge Sunday afternoon after being called to check on his welfare. The man, who is believed to be in his 50s or 60s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The bridge is just south of Wichita’s Riverside park.
The coroner will determine the man’s cause of death but police say there were no obvious signs of trauma.
