Wichita woman, 20, arrested in connection to July death, records show

A 20-year-old Wichita woman is the second person to be arrested in connection to the July killing of Roy L. Hayden, records show.

Ariana Nicole Cook was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of aggravated kidnapping and first-degree murder, according to police records. The police case number also shows 35-year-old Matthew Ranard Small has been charged on suspicion of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and three counts of criminal possession of a weapon by a felon in connection to Hayden’s death.

Court records say the killing happened between July 1 and 6.

Police said Hayden’s body was found July 6 in a vehicle in the 1500 block of North Broadway.

Small has 10 convictions — nine in Butler County and one in Sedgwick County — dating back to 2004, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. The convictions include criminal possession of a firearm, aggravated assault, aggravated burglary and aggravated intimidation of a witness or victim. He has nearly 20 disciplinary reports from this time in prison, KDOC records show.

The latest violation was in April at the Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility. He was released from there in May.

This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 12:28 PM.