Suspects escape manhunt

Two men sought in the stabbing and beating of a Mayetta man found Monday near Riverfront Park are thought to have avoided an intensive manhunt in Elk County.

The afternoon manhunt, which included search dogs and a helicopter, was called off Monday evening without finding the suspects, Elk County Sheriff Janet Harrington said.

“We don’t know what happened to them, whether they got a ride or what,” Harrington said.

About 6:30 a.m. Monday, Lawrence Police were sent to check on an injured man lying along a gravel access road below the Kansas River levee on the edge of Riverfront Park, Sgt. Mike Pattrick said. A passerby had found him unconscious.

“When we got there, the person was conscious,” Pattrick said. “We were able to talk to him briefly.”

The victim was identified by police as Josh Greemore, 21. He was taken by helicopter ambulance to a Kansas City-area hospital where he was in critical condition Monday night.

Greemore suffered injuries from a beating with a blunt object and wounds from a sharp object, Pattrick said.

An investigation led officers to the Jayhawk Motel, 1004 N. Third St., Greemore’s last known address, Pattrick said. Four rooms were blocked off with crime scene tape, and customers at the motel could be seen talking with officers.

Police learned that a 1991 Geo Storm was missing from the motel parking lot.

Monday afternoon in Greenwood County, sheriff’s officers saw the missing Geo and a car chase ensued, according to Harrington. The chase moved into Elk County and came to an end when the Geo struck a tree along Kansas Highway 99 about 6 miles north of Howard.

Two men in the car fled on foot, Harrington said. Sheriff’s officers from Greenwood and Elk counties conducted a search of the area with assistance from the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Search dogs from Greenwood County and El Dorado were called in to search along with a Highway Patrol helicopter, Harrington said.

The suspects were not found, Harrington said.

Lawrence detectives were sent to the area to assist but were returning Monday night to Lawrence, Harrington said.

Elk County has the Geo for examination by a Lawrence investigator today, Harrington said.