NEODESHA – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Neodesha Police Department and the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office positively identified the man whose skeletal remains were found in rural Wilson County and have made an arrest connected to the case.
The victim was identified as Levi Ellis, 39, of Neodesha, formerly of Parsons. An autopsy was conducted on his remains.
KBI agents, with assistance from officers with the Neodesha Police Department, developed a suspect in the case. An arrest warrant was issued for first-degree murder connected to the death of Levi Ellis.
On Tuesday, Oct. 1, around 12:30 p.m., officers from the Broken Arrow (Oklahoma) Police Department arrested Joseph D. Ferraro, 56, of Neodesha.
Broken Arrow police reported on social media that the KBI asked for the department’s help when Ferraro’s phone showed he was in that city. KBI investigators believed Ferraro was driving a tan Chevrolet Traverse. Although initial attempts to locate Ferraro were unsuccessful, an officer continued to search and found the vehicle in a parking lot at 2600 N. Aspen Ave., which is the Clarion Hotel, and apprehended Ferraro, the police department reported.
Ferraro has been charged in Wilson County District Court with first-degree murder in Ellis’ death. The complaint alleges the murder happened on Sept. 14.
He was booked into the Tulsa County Jail in Tulsa. Extradition is being pursued. The investigation is ongoing.
Around 11:30 a.m. Sept. 24, the Neodesha Police Department requested KBI assistance after they located skeletal remains in a pasture east of 6554 Ottawa Road, northwest of Neodesha. Levi Ellis had been reported missing by a friend on Sept. 21.
