HARVEY COUNTY, Kan. (KAKE) - A 28-year-old suspect has been arrested in the death of a Hutchinson man whose body was found at Harvey County park last week. 

The Hutchinson Police Department said Wednesday that a joint investigation with the Harvey and Reno county sheriff's offices began after 31-year-old Tyler Lee Ford's body was found at Harvey County East Park Lake on September 17. 

Harvey County authorities previously said Ford had been shot and his body was placed in a dried-out section of the lake bed. 

"A person of interest was identified, which led the investigation to a residence in the City of Hutchinson," HPD said in a release. "A search warrant was executed at this residence, and evidence of the crime was discovered."

The suspect, Clancy Nelson Jr, was located and taken into custody in Aurora, Colorado, and he's awaiting extradition back to Kansas. Court records show a criminal complaint was filed on September 21, charging Nelson with second-degree murder, aggravated assault and criminal threat.

Clancy Nelson Jr. (Kansas Dept. of Corrections, 4/12/2021)
Clancy Nelson Jr. (Kansas Dept. of Corrections, 4/12/2021)  

Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Jones with the Hutchinson Police Department at 620-694-2822, Crimestoppers of Reno County at 800-222-TIPS, your local law enforcement agency, or use your P3Tips App on your smartphone.

Kansas Department of Corrections records show Nelson has prior convictions in Reno County that include theft, drug possession and fleeing law enforcement. 

The Harvey County Sheriff's Office has identified a man whose body was found in a local park on Sunday.

According in a news release, 31-year-old Tyler Lee Ford was found dead in the Sunset Ridge area of East Park, which is on the southwest side of the lake. Ford was from Hutchinson. 

Deputies responded to the scene at around 12:45 p.m. Sunday after a passerby found Ford's body in a dried-out section of the lake bed. His death is being investigated as a homicide.

"Ford is believed to have died within the past week, and the body placed in the park within the past week," the release from the sheriff's office said. "An autopsy by the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center determined Ford died of a gunshot wound."

The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call the Harvey County Sheriff's Office.