Self-Described Playboy Model Allegedly Killed Psychiatrist, 71, Whose Body Was Found in Trunk
A 25-year-old California woman who claimed she has modeled for Playboy has been arrested by Las Vegas authorities and charged with the murder of a child psychiatrist whose bludgeoned body was recovered earlier this month from a car that was abandoned in the desert.
Las Vegas Police confirm Kelsey Nichole Turner was arrested in Stockton, California, on March 21, and is awaiting extradition to Nevada, where she stands accused of killing Thomas Burchard, a 71-year-old Salinas, California, man.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted in the arrest, according to a news release.
At this point, Turner has only been charged with one count of murder.
Both her Facebook profile and Instagram account state she is a model who has previously posed for Playboy.
PEOPLE reached out to Playboy for confirmation but received no immediate response.
According to police, Burchard’s body was found on March 7 in the trunk of car that had been ditched in a desert area east of Las Vegas.
An autopsy determined Burchard died from blunt force trauma to the head, with the manner ruled a homicide.
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Police have yet to disclose how they came to identify Turner as a suspect, and if or how the victim knew his alleged killer.
Turner has not yet entered a plea to the charge against her and it was unclear Friday if she had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.
According to reports, Burchard was a respected child psychiatrist with an affinity for magic.
His longtime girlfriend, Judy Earp, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he would often perform tricks for his young patients.
“Whoever did this is just soulless,” Earp told the paper.
Anyone with any information about the killing is urged to call Las Vegas police at 702-828-3521.
