The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has confirmed, through a fingerprint comparison, that a body found in Lincoln County Wednesday evening is that of Jeffrey B. Powell, 37, who has been missing since the evening of July 31, Sheriff Glen Kochanowski said.
Kochanowski said the Saline County Sheriff’s Office was notified about 7 p.m. Wednesday by the KBI that “good information” had been received about the location of Powell’s body.
Sheriff’s officers then assisted KBI officers in recovering the body in Lincoln County, northwest of the Saline County border.
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Kochanowski declined to give further information about where the body was found or its condition.
Kyle A. Nelson, 29, was arrested Aug. 2 on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with Powell’s death. He is being held in Saline County Jail on $500,000 bond. Nelson, who authorities say was the last person known to have been with Powell, is accused of killing him July 31 east of the Salina city limits on North Street.
Powell was initially reported to be missing. However, the next day Nelson was arrested and accused of Powell’s murder, and authorities said they were searching for Powell’s body.
Kochanowski said no changes in the charges against Nelson are expected as a result of the body’s discovery. He said the investigation is ongoing, and he didn’t know if any other arrests would be made.
Kochanowski said evidence at the location at which the body was found was being processed by the KBI. The body was taken to Kansas City for an autopsy.
Help received from community members in the investigation has been appreciated, Kochanowski said. He said he hopes that finding Powell’s body will make it possible for his family to have a sense of closure.
Kochanowski said officers from the Salina Police Department, Saline and Lincoln County sheriff’s offices and KBI have had “outstanding cooperation” while interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence in the case.
“This is how law enforcement is supposed to work,” he said.
