WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A 31-year-old man has been arrested and charged with the murder of a missing Wichita woman whose body was found earlier this week.
On Tuesday, Wichita police found the body of 30-year-old Mariana Christian near Cottonwood Park. The Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center positively identified the remains as hers on Thursday morning.
On Friday, the police department also provided an update on the case. At 10:30 a.m. on Monday, July 21, a friend of Christian filed a missing person report. The friend said Christian had a history of mental health challenges and often relied on them for transportation to work. That morning, Christian was not at her home in the 1200 block of S. Paige when the friend arrived to pick her up.
Friends mourn after body of missing woman found
At the home, police said the friend encountered an unidentified man, later identified as Kyle S. Bearden. He told the friend that he didn’t know of Christian’s whereabouts. He claimed she had left the apartment on Friday, July 18, in a truck with an unknown man and woman and hadn’t returned. He also expressed concern for her safety. Although not listed on the lease, Bearden appeared to be living in the apartment…