Butler County investigators follow-up on tips in missing persons case

EL DORADO, Kan. (KSNW) — The Butler County Sheriff’s Office has been searching an area in the southern portion of the county in connection to a missing persons case.

In May, the sheriff’s office asked for tips from the public in two cases: Frankie “Punkie” Harrod and Ricky L. Nelms. Despite a body not being located, three people were tried and convicted of his murder, with one of them still serving their prison sentence.

“He provided information to us recently, and as we were interviewing and talking with him, he revealed another individual that was missing from 1988,” Butler County Sheriff’s Detective Glenn Hopper said.

That individual was Ricky L. Nelms. Nelms disappearance hadn’t previously been linked to Harrod’s.

Hopper says the man currently in prison for Harrod’s death has been cooperating and told investigators he was responsible for burying Harrod and Nelms. After asking for help from the public last month, Hopper says they have been receiving tips from the public daily.

One of the tips they’re following up on involves Nelms’s body, which led investigators to search a hedgerow Tuesday in southern Butler County. T he Sedgwick County Emergency Management K9 Search and Rescue Team is assisting in the search of the area.

“We’re not really pursuing any angle of prosecution for somebody that’s already been convicted,” Hopper said. “We’re just looking for the information to just tell us where the remains are so we can get them back to their loved ones.”

If you have any information that could assist investigators, call 316-322-8817 or 866-484-5924 or by email at crimetips@bucoks.com .

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