The Wichita Police Department has arrested Thomas Gatewood, 51, of Wichita,on charges of 1st Degree Murder, Abuse of a Child (x3), Aggravated Kidnapping (x4),Aggravated Endangering of a Child (x2), and Aggravated Intimidation of a Witness/ Victim, stemming from a homicide investigation.
On May 8, 2023, Officers were sent to a residence in the 600 block of N. Oliverto a medical call of an unresponsive girl, 8, who was pronounced deceased.
EMCU and Homicide detectives investigated the incident. Through the investigators' relentlessness and persistent efforts, a homicide case was presented to the District Attorney's office.
On June 27th, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Thomas Gatewood for First DegreeMurder of his daughter, 8. Wichita Police Officers utilized FLOCK technology andThomas was quickly located and taken into custody within hours of the warrant being issued.
The arrest is the product of a lengthy investigation involving investigators from the EMCU, WPD Homicide section, NET Team, and Crime Scene Investigators, in cooperation with the Forensic Science Center and KU Medical Center.
Bond was set at $250,000. His next court date is July 12.
