BARTON COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is assisting the Claflin Police Department and the Barton County Sheriff’s Office with a suspicious death investigation in Claflin, Kansas.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, officers with the Claflin Police Department were dispatched to a residence in the 300 block of East Hamilton Avenue to conduct a welfare check, according to a media release from the KBI. The check was requested after a family member reported they had not heard from a female resident of the home in over a week.
Upon arrival, officers made contact with a male resident, identified as Barry Kearns, 60. While conducting a welfare check inside the home, officers discovered blood and secured the residence. Due to the presence of multiple dogs, law enforcement coordinated with local animal control to safely remove the animals. During this process, the body of a deceased female was discovered inside the attached garage.
At approximately 11:45 p.m., Claflin police officers arrested Kearns on an initial requested charge of second-degree murder. Kearns was booked into the Barton County Jail.
According to court records, Kearns was previously charged in October of last year on two counts of aggravated domestic battery on Sept. 9 and 25, with the deceased victim listed as the victim. In March of this year, Kearns signed a 12-month diversion agreement on those charges.