KBI investigating after Kansas athlete found unconscious in field, official says

An 18-year-old Dodge City Community College cross country athlete is in critical condition at a Wichita hospital after she was found unconscious in a field, Kansas Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Melissa Underwood said Thursday.

Delia Montes, who graduated from Dodge City High School in the spring, had heat stroke, according to a GoFundMe page.

Underwood said she was hospitalized for heat-related reasons. She would not say whether she had any injuries to her body.

“We want to make sure there isn’t something more to the case,” Underwood said Thursday.

Montes was found around 5:35 p.m. on Aug. 7, Underwood said, after practice. Life-saving measures were taken; she was transported by emergency officials to St. Catherine Hospital in Dodge City and then flown to a Wichita hospital, Underwood said.

A second DCCC athlete was also taken by college staff to St. Catherine Hospital before being treated and released, the college said in a news release.

The Ford County Sheriff’s Office asked the KBI to investigate earlier this week.

The community college said the practice began at 1:30 p.m. and was monitored according to the heat policy put in place by the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.

“As such, the practice was well within the established guidelines of this policy,” the statement says.

The fundraiser says the money will help Montes’ father, her only parent, with travel expenses and for lost wages for missing work. The fundraiser can be found at shorturl.at/iDGW1.

This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 11:18 AM.