Joel Leon-Santos, a 37-year-old Hispanic man from the Arkansas City area, was shot and killed at Cowley State Fishing Lake on the evening of December 22, 2021. Deputies and Kansas Highway Patrol troopers responded after a 911 call just after 6 p.m.; following an extensive search guided by the caller, officers found Leon-Santos about 8 p.m. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene despite life-saving efforts.

The death was classified as a homicide and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation took the lead, working with the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas City Police and Winfield Police. An autopsy was ordered and authorities asked the public for tips about anything seen or heard at the lake that Wednesday evening. No suspects have been publicly identified or arrested and the investigation remains open.

If anyone was at Cowley State Fishing Lake that night or has information about Joel Leon-Santos’s death, please share what you know.