Wichita Area Housing Coalition - WAHC
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Janna was already doing exactly what people say someone without stable housing should do: she asked for help, completed the process, got connected to housing, and waited.
She told me her disability income was less than $1,000 a month and that she was waiting on the apartment inspection before she and Miley could move in. Chapin Park was not stopping her from reaching housing. It was giving her somewhere to survive while the housing system caught up.
You can find the full conversation on YouTube, TikTok, Substack, and Facebook. You can also watch the full video and find links to all of our platforms at www.WichitaAreaHC.org.
09/21/2026
🚨 DEVELOPING KANSAS HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION
A WICHITA GRANDMOTHER WAS REPORTED MISSING.
HOURS LATER, HER BODY WAS FOUND INSIDE A SUITCASE AT A FIRE STATION.
During the early-morning hours of Wednesday, September 16, 2026, a missing-person report was made for 67-year-old Lorretta M. Moody of Wichita, Kansas.
According to information shared by Lorretta’s family, she had last been seen in the 2400 block of South Mosley.
Her disappearance was immediately alarming.
Family members said Lorretta was extremely frail—approximately 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighing no more than 70 pounds.
She reportedly had significant difficulty walking independently and normally relied upon a walker, oxygen and medication.
When she disappeared, Lorretta reportedly did not have any of those essential items with her.
Her family began searching and pleading for information.
Then, only hours later, the investigation took a horrifying turn.
At approximately 6:25 p.m., emergency personnel responded to Wichita Fire Station 22, located at 2659 South Hydraulic.
Inside a suitcase in the fire station’s parking lot, authorities discovered the body of a woman.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
On September 18, the Wichita Police Department publicly identified the woman as Lorretta M. Moody.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding her death as a homicide.
But the discovery has created far more questions than answers.
According to subsequent reporting, two individuals brought the suitcase to the fire station.
Wichita Police spokesperson Andrew Ford has said those individuals are not presently being identified as suspects or persons of interest.
“They’re just people we are talking to,” Ford explained.
Police have not publicly disclosed how the individuals came into possession of the suitcase, where it had been before it reached the fire station or what they knew about its contents.
Authorities have also not publicly released Lorretta’s cause of death.
No suspect has been identified.
No arrest has been announced.
Police have indicated that they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public, but the investigation remains active.
As detectives search for answers, Lorretta’s family is mourning a woman they knew as much more than the victim in a disturbing headline.
Her granddaughter, Angelyna Moody-Fletcher, remembered the long telephone conversations they shared and described Lorretta as deeply loved and cherished by her family.
She promised that she would never stop talking about her grandmother and never stop fighting for her.
Lorretta’s sister also publicly vowed that the family would continue seeking justice.
For now, the central questions remain unanswered:
How did a medically fragile 67-year-old woman disappear without her oxygen, medication or walker?
What happened between the time she vanished and the time her body arrived at Fire Station 22?
How did the two individuals obtain the suitcase?
And who is responsible for Lorretta Moody’s death?
This is an active and rapidly developing investigation. Information may change as Wichita Police release additional findings.
Anyone with information that may assist investigators should contact the Wichita Police Department Investigations Division at 316-268-4407.
Anonymous information may also be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Wichita/Sedgwick County at 316-267-2111 or through the P3 Tips application.
Justice for Lorretta M. Moody.
Wichita, Kansas
September 16, 2026
Janna worked most of her life, including 14 years with Merry Maids. Then her back gave out. After surgeries and the disabilities that followed, hard work was no longer enough to keep her housed because her body could no longer do the work it once did. Her story is a reminder that housing loss is not a morality test. Bodies fail, relationships collapse, people lose support systems, and income disappears.
You can find the full conversation on YouTube, TikTok, Substack, and Facebook. You can also watch the full video and find links to all of our platforms at www.WichitaAreaHC.org.
At Chapin Park, even scrap metal can become a community resource. Janna describes residents pooling scrap, selling it, and using the money for dog food, shared meals, or whatever the community needs. People with very little are still finding ways to share what they have and make it stretch further together.
You can find the full conversation on YouTube, TikTok, Substack, and Facebook. You can also watch the full video and find links to all of our platforms at www.WichitaAreaHC.org.
Chapin Park has its own code. Janna explains that when someone goes to the hospital, jail, or has to leave temporarily, their belongings are not supposed to become fair game. People stay in contact, protect what belongs to one another, and call people out when they cross the line. It is a community creating rules around respect and survival because locked doors are not there to do it for them.
You can find the full conversation on YouTube, TikTok, Substack, and Facebook. You can also watch the full video and find links to all of our platforms at www.WichitaAreaHC.org.
"Miley was born and raised at Chapin Park. Her coat says “security,” and Janna says the whole place is her yard. For Janna, Miley is not simply a pet. She is companionship, protection, and part of the small circle of safety Janna built around herself. Any housing solution that ignores relationships like this is not truly person-centered.
You can find the full conversation on YouTube, TikTok, Substack, and Facebook. You can also watch the full video and find links to all of our platforms at www.WichitaAreaHC.org.
09/17/2026
Alert | Wichita, KS For events with rapidly changing information such as boil water advisories, post-severe weather response or city-wide public safety, this page will be updated regularly with the most recent information. Once the event has concluded, this page will be cleared until the next event takes place. If you....
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