SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man accused in the murder of a woman whose body was found in a Wichita park has admitted to killing 30-year-old Mariana Christian.
On Monday, 31-year-old Kyle Bearden entered a plea of guilty during an evidentiary hearing before Judge Jeffrey Goering, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.
The plea agreement calls for the parties to jointly recommend a prison sentence of life with parole eligibility after 25 years, to be followed by an additional 15 years of imprisonment if parole is granted.
Around 10:30 a.m. on July 21, a friend of Mariana Christian filed a missing person report. The friend said Ms. Christian had a history of mental health challenges and often relied on them for transportation to work. That morning, Christian was not at her home in the 1200 block of S. Paige when the friend arrived to pick her up.
At the residence, the friend encountered an unidentified man later identified as Kyle Bearden who said he didn’t know Ms. Christian’s whereabouts.
He claimed Mariana Christian had left the apartment on Friday, July 18, in a truck with an unknown man and woman and hadn’t returned. He also expressed concern for her safety. Although not listed on the lease, the man appeared to be living in the apartment.
Although Ms. Christian was last seen on Friday, July 18, she wasn’t reported missing until Monday, July 21. After multiple failed attempts to reach her and finding her absence unusual, the friend contacted police. Officers issued an attempt-to-locate alert, and investigators took over the case.
WPD investigators identified Bearden as a person of interest. They followed leads to locate Ms. Christian, discovering evidence of her death and where her remains were left in Cottonwood Park near Armor and Bayley in Wichita.
Wichita Police officers responded to the area and located human remains. Investigators believe Bearden shot Ms. Christian.
Crime scene investigators processed Ms. Christian’s apartment and found evidence of foul play.
On the morning of July 31, the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center positively identified the remains as those of Mariana Christian.
Kyle Bearden was arrested on July 30 and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail. His sentencing is scheduled for October 20.