Tyler Lee Ford, 31, was found dead on September 17, 2023, in a dried portion of the lake bed at Sunset Ridge in East Park, Newton, Kansas. The discovery, made by a passerby, triggered a homicide investigation; an autopsy by the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center determined Ford died from a gunshot wound. Investigators believed he had been killed within the week before his body was found and that his remains were placed in the park during that same timeframe.

Ford, a Native American from Hutchinson and a welding student at Hutchinson Community College, was remembered by family and friends as kind and caring. Authorities identified 28-year-old Clancy Nelson Jr., also from Hutchinson, as a person of interest. After a search warrant at a Hutchinson residence produced evidence, Nelson was located in Aurora, Colorado, and taken into custody in Adams County; he was held pending extradition to Kansas on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated battery, and aggravated assault.

If anyone knew Tyler, his movements in Newton or Hutchinson that week in September, or has information about the case, please share what can help investigators.