Wichita police arrest woman, 30, in connection with body found in burning SUV
Law enforcement records show a 30-year-old woman has been arrested and booked into jail in connection with a body found in a burning vehicle earlier this week.
Laura D. Branning was arrested at 11:47 a.m. Thursday at Wichita City Hall, 455 N. Main, according to Wichita police arrest records. She was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail later Thursday, at 7:42 p.m., on suspicion of arson and criminal desecration of a body. Her bond is $150,000.
The Wichita Police Department on Wednesday announced that it was investigating the death of a person in the 1700 block of South Elpyco. Officers responding to a check shots call in the area of Battin and Osie about 3:50 a.m. that day found an SUV engulfed in flames in a grassy area near an apartment building. Authorities found a dead body inside.
Police said Wednesday the case is being investigated as a homicide. The name and age of the victim had not been released as of Friday morning.
Kansas Department of Corrections records show Branning has prior convictions for possessing drugs in 2012 and fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement in 2015.
She had not been formally charged in the burned body case as of Friday morning.
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 9:25 AM.
