Body found in Harvey County thought to be missing Wichita man

A man’s body has been found in rural Harvey County north of Sedgwick, and authorities suspect it is a Wichita man who has been missing since early this week following an altercation in Valley Center.

Sedgwick County sheriff’s deputies, acting on a tip relayed to Harvey County authorities, found the body around noon in a wooded area about a half-mile from Hoover Road and Southwest 72nd Street, Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter said.

“It was in a creek area well off the main road,” Easter said.

The body was found about three miles north and east of Sedgwick. Residents reported seeing a white truck pull out of farm ground “from a road that leads into a creek area,” Easter said.

The truck matched the description of the vehicle authorities were searching for in connection with the disappearance of Scottie Goodpaster, 33, who went missing after a disturbance was reported Sunday at a home in the 1300 block of South Meridian in Valley Center.

“Indicators match” information known about Goodpaster, Easter said, but he will await confirmation from the Regional Forensic Science Center before officially saying it is the missing man.

Dozens of deputies were combing “a very large area” in the vicinity of where the body was found Saturday, looking for evidence, Easter said. Authorities will be working the scene for several more hours.

Five people have been arrested in connection with the altercation in Valley Center. Four of them were charged late this week with first-degree murder.

Other counts lodged against Jeff Hillard, Heidi Hillard, Willie Morris and Brian Bussart include aggravated robbery, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated battery. The Hillards also each were charged with one count of rape.

A fifth person charged Thursday, Alexandria Scott, is facing counts of kidnapping and aggravated robbery.

This story was originally published November 12, 2016 at 3:23 PM with the headline "Body found in Harvey County thought to be missing Wichita man."