BARTON COUNTY —The family of Erin Smith, 17, has established a Gofundme page after the teenager was murdered early Saturday morning in Great Bend.
Smith was a student at Hoisington High School and wanted to pursue a career in cosmetology. According to her sister, Ashley, Erin "loved art, music, her friends, and family."
According to the Great Bend Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 1400 block of Lakin Avenue at approximately 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning in reference to a 911 hang-up call. Upon arrival, officers were advised that a subject had been shot in the backyard. Officers located a female victim who was deceased from an apparent gunshot wound.
During the investigation, officers learned that the suspect, identified as Keegan Martens, 19, had fled the scene prior to officers' arrival. Law enforcement officers from the Great Bend Police Department, Barton County Sheriff's Office, and Kansas Highway Patrol attempted to set up a perimeter around the area. An airplane was also utilized in the search attempt for several hours. Martens was later located in Salina, where he was taken into custody. He was subsequently transported to the Barton County Jail, where he remains in custody.
The Great Bend Police Department was assisted in this investigation by the Barton County Sheriff's Office, Kansas Highway Patrol, and Salina Police Department.
Saturday's incident marks the second homicide of a teenager in Great Bend this year. The body of Rubi Perez, 14, was found deceased near the railroad tracks at Veterans Memorial Park on April 8. A teenage boy was arrested for that crime. A motion to authorize prosecution of that individual as an adult is scheduled for Oct. 14-15 in Barton County District Court.