Affidavit: Woman shot five times, left by railroad tracks

Only hours before she was found shot to death next to railroad tracks in southern Sedgwick County, Tamsen Kayzer was accused of cheating by her boyfriend, according to a court document released Thursday.

The exchange on Facebook between Kayzer, 40, and Darnell Coleman, 40, occurred on the night of October 29. Kayzer’s body was found the next morning by a passing motorist in the 10800 block of South Meridian, little more than a mile north of Peck and the Sumner County line.

She had been shot five times, according to the affidavit presenting the probable cause for a criminal charge against Coleman. Interviews with a relative determined that Kayzer was home in southeast Wichita late the night before when Coleman showed up and asked if she was coming over to his place.

Police set up surveillance on Coleman’s residence in the 1600 block of South Volutsia after investigators learned a blue Chevy Suburban he had been seen driving was parked there.

Sheriff Jeff Easter noticed what appeared to be blood stains on the exterior of the Suburban, the report stated. After getting consent to search Coleman’s residence from his brother, who also lives there, a detective found what appeared to be blood stains on the wall of a staircase.

Investigators then obtained a search warrant for Coleman’s residence on Volutsia and found a shotgun between his mattresses. They also found, ammunition for .38 Special revolver with six bullets missing and bullets for a .22 caliber handgun in a closet.

They also found a white T-shirt with reddish stains on the floor in the bedroom, and the bathtub handle and a sponge on the tub’s ledge both tested positive for blood. Stains found on the Suburban tested positive for blood as well.

A check of court records by a detective revealed Coleman was convicted in a domestic violence case in 2011, after Kayzer reported he punched her four times in the face. She had previously reported being injured when Coleman pushed her to the ground several times, the report stated.

It took authorities a little more than two weeks to locate and arrest Coleman, and at one point the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office posted an Old West style wanted poster featuring Coleman. He was taken into custody the next day in the 1600 block of South Erie, law enforcement records show.

Coleman is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder. His bond has been set at $500,000.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 14.

This story was originally published December 7, 2017 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Affidavit: Woman shot five times, left by railroad tracks."