Man arrested on suspicion of murder after Kansas house fire where woman, girl died
A man was arrested on Monday in connection with a deadly Hutchinson house fire on Saturday where a woman and girl died.
The 37-year-old man from Hutchinson was arrested on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of interference with law enforcement, aggravated arson and aggravated endangering of a child, the Hutchinson Police Department said Tuesday.
Hutchinson police identified one of the deceased victims as Kalsey Payton, 32, of Hutchinson. The girl’s name was not identified, nor did police say the relationship between everyone involved in the incident.
Authorities responded at 3:22 a.m. Saturday to a fire call at a home in the 1000 block of East 3rd Avenue.
Police arrived and found one girl standing in the front of the home. Fire crews entered the home, where they encountered heavy smoke and a hole on the first floor.
Firefighters found three people and pulled them out. Kelsey Payton and a second girl died from their injuries. Wendell Payton and the girl found outside of the home were taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center and then St. Francis in Wichita, from which the girl, originally found outside the home, has since been released.
Agencies involved in responding to the incident included the Hutchinson Fire Department, Hutchinson Reno County Emergency Communications, Reno County EMS, Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office, Kansas Bureau of Investigations, Kansas Gas, Evergy and Hutchinson Public Works
Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to call Reno County Crime Stoppers or Hutchinson police at 620-694-2816 and mention case number 2025-4633.