Son jailed on suspicion of murder in mother’s killing, Sedgwick County sheriff says
Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter said Thursday that a 42-year-old man has been booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree murder in this mother’s slaying at her home.
Deputies responding to a 911 call requesting a welfare check at a trailer home in the 15300 block of West U.S. Highway 54 around 11 a.m. Wednesday found Denyce Breit, 67, dead on the floor, Easter said during a Thursday news conference. Easter said the deputies had to force their way into the home because the door was locked.
But once inside “it was very obvious to the deputies that there was blunt force trauma to the body,” he said. Breit was pronounced dead at 11:46 a.m. Wednesday, according to a department news release. The home is between Wichita and Goddard, Sheriff’s Lt. Benjamin Blick said.
The 911 caller phoned again, saying that they thought Breit’s son, 42-year-old Kyle L. Romey, had hurt her, Easter said.
Deputies went to the caller’s home and through interviews, determined Romey was the prime suspect in the killing.
Romey was later found in the area of Taft and McLean and taken into custody, Easter said.
Easter called the death a homicide but said the exact cause is pending an autopsy being conducted Thursday.
He said it wasn’t clear what led to the killing but told reporters that Romey had a history of arguments and violence with his family, some of which had previously landed him in prison.
Romey was paroled from prison in April and had been living with his mother at her home, Easter said.
The Sheriff’s Office plans to present its investigation to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office for formal charging as soon as Friday, he said.
Romey was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail at 9:24 p.m. Wednesday, records show. He is being held in lieu of $500,000 bond. His prior convictions include aggravated battery, criminal threat, and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
This story was originally published October 7, 2021 at 2:05 PM.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misspelled the victim’s name, based on information provided by law enforcement.
