James Perkins, a 33-year-old minister from a Kansas Methodist church, was found dead in a Wichita alley on September 3, 1977. His body was discovered east of 200 S Commerce with fatal trauma to the head. Perkins had been in Wichita attending a conference for clergy when his life ended in that desolate location.

The killing remains unsolved and no suspects or arrests have been publicly identified. The case is listed among more than 200 unsolved homicides handled by the Wichita Police Department’s Cold Case Unit, which continues to seek information and hopes new tips or forensic advances might break the case.

If anyone was in downtown Wichita around September 3, 1977, or has information about James Perkins’s movements that week, investigators would like to hear from you.