MITCHELL COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office are investigating after a suspect was found dead Monday following a standoff at a residence near Glen Elder.
On Saturday, Oct. 23, at approximately noon, the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from a 78-year-old male who reported that he was forcibly taken at gunpoint and held for around 26 hours by his 59-year-old acquaintance, John Roudybush, of Glen Elder.
The Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office contacted the KBI for assistance at approximately 12:40 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 24. An arrest warrant for Roudybush for aggravated kidnapping was obtained, and a search warrant for Roudybush’s residence was secured.
At approximately 9 p.m. Sunday, the KBI’s High Risk Warrant Team attempted to execute the warrants at 2446 190 Rd. in rural Glen Elder. Roudybush refused to come out of the house and a standoff began. During the standoff, negotiators attempted to communicate with Roudybush for many hours.
Two shots were heard inside the house at approximately 4:30 a.m. Monday morning. Then at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Monday, control of the scene was transferred to the Kansas Highway Patrol’s Special Response Team, due to the length of time it was requiring to resolve the incident.
At approximately 8:30 a.m., KHP reported hearing a gunshot inside the residence. They later breached an external wall of the house and were able to locate Roudybush deceased in an upstairs room at around 12:45 p.m. on Monday. He died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. No shots were fired by any law enforcement officer during this incident. An autopsy will be performed.
The KBI and the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the death of Roudybush, as well as the aggravated kidnapping case. There is no indication that any other subjects were involved in the kidnapping incident.
The investigation is ongoing. No other information will be released at this time.