Wichita ? A Sedgwick County payment of more than half a million dollars that didn’t reach the intended company has triggered a fraud investigation.

The county made a payment of about $566,000 to Wichita construction company Cornejo & Sons on Oct. 7 for a road project. Sedgwick County spokeswoman Kate Flavin said the payment went through the Automated Clearing House, but never reached Cornejo. The ACH is used by governments and businesses to pay for benefits, payroll, bills and business transactions.

County staff didn’t realize what happened until Oct. 25, the Wichita Eagle reported.

The county sent another check to Cornejo on Oct. 26 that was cashed.

The newspaper said deputy chief financial officer Rick Durham reported to the sheriff that the county was a victim of theft by deception.

It’s unclear where the first payment went, and county officials wouldn’t say if the money has been recovered.

The company declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.

Cornejo initially received a contract of more than $550,000 in June to work on the Bond Tekk project, which is part of Sedgwick County’s preventive road maintenance. The project later increased to more than $566,000.