Wichita toddler found dead; search continues for father

BY STAN FINGER
The Wichita Eagle

The search for a missing toddler has become a homicide investigation, and police are looking for the girl's father.

The 1-year-old child was found dead at about 7:30 a.m. today inside a home in the 1500 block of North Green, Lt. Ken Landwehr said.

Authorities are now searching for 23-year-old Jonell K. Lloyd, who lives at that address and is believed to be the child's father.

The name of the child is being withheld pending the notification of kin.

The search began at about 8:15 p.m. Thursday when the child's mother notified police that Lloyd had called her to say he had taken the child to Grove Park and she had vanished when he wasn't looking.

Police searched the park but found no sign of her.

"The story given to us didn't seem feasible," Landwer said, because a 1-year-old would not be capable of wandering very far.

Authorities say the toddler's body was found in the attic. Police believe the girl was killed sometime between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday -- hours before she was reported missing.
"It's a homicide," Landwehr said.

Her mother had dropped the child off at the house for a few days because she needed to undergo and recover from minor surgery, Landwehr said.

A 4-month-old boy found in the house was taken into protective custody. The boy's mother, who lives at the house, is not a suspect in the girl's death.

Lloyd does not have a car, and police believe he is still in Wichita. He was already wanted on two felony warrants, Deputy Chief Tom Stolz said: aggravated escape and violating parole for a conviction of aggravated battery with firearms.

Anyone with information on the crime should call 911 or CrimeStoppers at 267-2111.