SEDGWICK COUNTY — The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office has identified the individual found deceased in Sedgwick County Park on June 18 as 31-year-old Michael Etchingham, according to a statement from sheriff's department spokesman Braden Stitt.
The Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center confirmed Etchingham’s identity. He had been reported missing to the Wichita Police Department by a family member on May 14. Detectives believe he was homeless and living in a secluded area in the northwest section of the park near 21st Street North and Ridge Road.
Although the body was found in an advanced state of decomposition, the Sedgwick County Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death to be suicide based on evidence collected at the scene and through the course of the Sheriff’s Office investigation.