Kidnapping Suspect Found Dead In Kansas Jail

A 23-year-old man accused of leaving a Missouri home with a 15-year-old girl he was legally prohibited from contacting has been found dead in a Kansas jail cell.

The Wyandotte County sheriff’s office says Tuesday’s death of 23-year-old Elijah McPike appeared to be a suicide. An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday.

Kansas City, Kan., police arrested McPike on Friday night and found the teen he was accused of taking the day before in Harrison County, Mo. Prosecutors there had charged McPike with kidnapping and violation of a protection order.

He was being held in Wyandotte County pending his extradition to Missouri.

During the search for McPike, the patrol’s advisory said he “has been known to be violent and suicidal.”