The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office confirms they are investigating after one child died and a second was found in critical condition inside a vehicle on Kansas Highway 10 in De Soto on Wednesday evening.
At 5:22 p.m., deputies responded with Johnson County Med-Act paramedics and firefighters from the Northwest Consolidated Fire District to the eastbound lanes of K-10 just east of Kill Creek Road.
In a news release, Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer McKenzi Davis said that two children and one adult were inside the vehicle.
Recorded radio traffic from emergency responders at the time indicated the vehicle was being driven eastbound on K-10 when the driver pulled over to call for help. Deputies arrived quickly and performed CPR until paramedics and firefighters arrived.
“One child was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was transported to the hospital,” Davis said. “The Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Radio traffic indicated that the child transported to an area hospital was in critical condition and had possibly been left in a vehicle for several hours.
The Sheriff’s Office has not released any information about the age or gender of the children or the adult in the vehicle.
Deputies have not said where the vehicle was coming from before stopping on the highway.
Sheriff’s deputies and the Kansas Highway Patrol blocked the right lane of eastbound K-10 past the scene as they investigated.
The lane closure caused traffic to back up to Lexington Avenue for a time.
A tow truck removed the vehicle with the assistance of the Johnson County Crime Lab, and all lanes reopened shortly before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“Additional information will be provided as it becomes available,” Davis said in the release.
