Man’s body found in burning house in east Wichita, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office says
Updated 11:15 a.m. Tuesday: The Sheriff’s Office has identified the man found dead inside of a burning house in east Wichita on Monday as 50-year-old Michael Summers of Wichita.
Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Lt. Benjamin Blick said Tuesday that while the circumstances surrounding the death are “suspicious in nature,” it also appears it may not have been the result of foul play. The exact cause of death is unknown at this time.
Updated 6:20 p.m. Aug. 30: Authorities have backed off of their initial assessment that the death of a 50-year-old man found inside of a burning house in east Wichita is suspicious — and are now saying it doesn’t appear to be the result of foul play.
Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Lt. Benjamin Blick shared the update shortly after 6 p.m. Monday.
“Sheriff investigators are currently processing the home ... for evidence,” he said by email, adding that “at the moment,” the death is no longer considered suspicious.
Original story: Authorities are investigating the death of a 50-year-old man whose body was discovered at the site of a house fire Monday. The circumstances under which he died are considered suspicious, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Benjamin Blick said.
The man, whose name was not immediately released, was found dead at 52 E. Via Roma in east Wichita, near Central and North 127th Street East.
Blick said firefighters who were dispatched to a report of a fire at that address a few minutes before 9:45 a.m. Monday found flames in the garage that had to be put out before they could enter the home.
“Once inside they (firefighters) discovered additional fires throughout the home,” Blick wrote in a news release. “While extinguishing these fires they located a deceased 50-year-old male.”
“The Sheriff’s Office was summoned to the scene to conduct a death investigation,” Blick added.
No other details were immediately released Monday.
This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 4:29 PM.
