Arkansas girl missing since early November found in Wichita closet, man arrested

A teenage Arkansas girl missing since early November was found Wednesday in a north Wichita closet, Wichita police spokesperson Chad Ditch said Friday.

David Edward Roark, who is wanted in Kentucky, was arrested outside of his home by officers looking for the missing child. The missing girl was found inside a closet of the home in the 1800 block of North Litchfield, which is near 17th and Garland.

“The child has since been reunited with her family,” Ditch said in a news release.

Roark was booked into Sedgwick County Jail on suspicion of multiple charges, including abuse of a child, criminal restraint and two counts of fugitive from justice. Ditch said he didn’t know what the two Kentucky warrants were for.

Roark has a first appearance in front of a judge on Monday.

The girl had been missing since early November from Arkansas, where she was seen in a convenience store with Roark.

Local law enforcement contacted Wichita police just after midnight Wednesday asking for help finding the girl.

Information provided by the officials “suggested that the suspect was possibly in the Wichita area,” Ditch said.

Police found Roark leaving his home and took him into custody. The girl was found inside a closet.

Police and the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office would not comment on why the girl was in the closet. Kansas statute defines criminal restraint as “restraining another person so as to interfere substantially with such person’s liberty.”

The Exploited and Missing Child Unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children task force both helped in the investigation.

This story was originally published December 16, 2022 at 2:08 PM.