Claflin Police Department officers were dispatched around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to a residence in the 300 block of East Hamilton Avenue to conduct a welfare check. The request came after a family member said they had not heard from a female resident of the home in more than a week. Officers made contact with a male resident, identified as Barry Kearns, 60.
During the welfare check inside the home, officers found blood and secured the residence. Because there were multiple dogs on site, law enforcement coordinated with local animal control to remove the animals safely. While that process was underway, officers discovered the body of a deceased female inside an attached garage.
At about 11:45 p.m., Claflin police arrested Kearns on an initial charge of second-degree murder. He was booked into the Barton County Jail, and the report states he had not been formally charged initially.