A 13-year-old girl was dragged for several miles when she tried to escape her family’s SUV that had been carjacked from a parking lot.
According to the Wichita Police Department, Brianna Ibarra was sitting in an SUV that was idling outside a restaurant while her family was inside picking up food just before noon on February 6.
Brianna was in the back seat on the driver’s side of the SUV when a man jumped into the driver’s seat and drove off.
The frightened teenager became entangled in the seatbelt when she opened the rear passenger door to escape the fleeing vehicle.
A motorist witnessed a grey Ford Escape dragging a young girl who was hanging outside the vehicle “traveling westbound on Kellogg at Meridian”.
The witness followed the SUV and called 911.
Officers who responded to the scene saw the suspect stop the vehicle at Kellogg and West Street and flee on foot.
The suspect was captured by police and later identified as 34-year-old Kevin Palmer of Wichita.
Brianna was pronounced dead at the scene.
“This is one of the saddest cases I have been associated with in my over 28 years of law enforcement,” said Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay in a press release. “WPD sends its thoughts and prayers to family, friends, and others affected by this tragic incident.”
Palmer, who has a lengthy criminal history, is being held without bail at the Sedgwick County Jail on several charges, including felony murder, first-degree murder, and capital murder.
A GoFundMe account raised over $45,000 of a $75,000 goal for the “unexpected loss of a child.”
