Investigations underway after body found in crashed vehicle in Harvey County; victim believed to be missing interim clerk of the city of Peabody

Authorities are investigating a death after a man was found in a crashed car in Harvey County on Sunday.

At 2:45 p.m., a property owner reported seeing a red 2011 Chevy Silverado on his property near mile marker 32, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and Interstate 135. When officers arrived, they found the man dead inside.

The Harvey County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Kansas Highway Patrol’s Critical Highway Accident Response Team. Investigators believe the vehicle left the road and struck a tree.

The KBI reported that the vehicle was registered to 42-year-old Jonathan Clayton of Peabody, but positive identification has not been determined pending an autopsy.

Clayton, who was serving as Peabody’s interim city clerk, was reported missing on August 3. The Peabody Gazette-Bulletin reported that he was involved in an investigation into the loss of COVID-19 funds from the Peabody Main Street program.

The state had ordered the program to repay $740,000 of a $1.5 million grant because it was missing “required financial and project reports” that Clayton was responsible for submitting, the newspaper said.