20-month-old girl’s body found along river in Butler County, official says

The body of a 20-month-old girl missing since March 11 was found Saturday morning downriver from where the search first started, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office said.

The girl was a passenger in her father’s truck when he ran from the Leon Police Department. Christopher Johnson, 44, of Leon, was allegedly drinking when he took off from police and crashed into the Little Walnut River. Johnson died after being pinned in the truck that landed on its top.

Volunteers and area first-responders were not able to find the girl until Saturday.

“There were teams using a cadaver dog, persons searching on foot and using ATVs,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “At approximately 10:08 a.m., a search team comprised of members of the Leon Fire Department located the remains of the 20-month-old female approximately 3,700 feet down river from the area (where) the vehicle entered the Little Walnut River.”

The girl’s body has been taken to the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center for an autopsy, the release said.

Johnson was originally confronted by police after the child’s mother found out her boyfriend had been drinking and asked him to bring the girl home, Sheriff Kelly Herzet previously said. When he didn’t, police were called.

Police found Johnson in a Chevy pickup in a field near the Little Walnut River. When police tried to take the child, Johnson took off, Herzet said.

A Facebook fundraiser was set up on March 14 to help with any expected expenses.

This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 10:55 PM.