A child’s remains were found buried in a Rose Hill backyard. How police discovered them
The remains of a child were found buried 3 feet deep in the backyard of a cul-de-sac home in Rose Hill Wednesday — and police believe they know who they belong to.
No missing child report for the suspected victim was ever made to the Rose Hill Police Department, Chief Taylor Parlier told The Eagle in a phone call Thursday, adding he didn’t believe a report was made anywhere else either.
“There wasn’t anything to indicate a fresh grave,” he said. “The state of decomposition would suggest that the individual had been there for probably a couple of years.”
Police won’t say whose remains were found until they get DNA confirmation and more details from the medical examiner. He said they believe the child to be “older than a toddler and younger than late teens.”
No one is in custody, Parlier said, and police are asking for tips into what might have happened.
“It’s not a common thing,” he said. “Not a common thing for a big city, definitely not a common thing for a small city.”
Barricaded adult leads to discovery of victim
Police were called at 7:29 p.m. Tuesday about a barricaded adult threatening to harm themselves in the 1400 block of North Meeker Court. Two other adults and two children were inside as well.
Officers, after learning there was no firearm, entered the home. The barricaded suspect was taken to the hospital in serious but stable condition.
Parlier said that person was still in the hospital Thursday. He would not say how that person was injured.
During the investigation, police learned about a potential homicide victim buried on the property.
People through the Sedgwick County Community Emergency Response Team Program with experience in human remains detection helped with finding the body on Wednesday.
He said they, by luck, found the body on the first dig.
“We don’t have an individual suspect identified at this time,” he said. “Everyone is a suspect at this time.”
Do you have information on the homicide?
The same people have been listed as the owners of the property since at least 2019, according to the earliest available year online under Butler County’s tax information.
Parlier said he doesn’t expect any more details to be released until next week, if not later.
Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to email RHPD at police@cityofrosehill.com.
Rose Hill is a town in Butler County of just over 4,200 people, about 20 miles southeast of Wichita.