WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A tragic incident occurred Monday in northeast Wichita when a stolen vehicle crashed into 43-year-old Mandy Buckwalter’s carleading to her death. The driver of the stolen vehicle, 24-year-old Katelyn Barrioz, was hospitalized after the crash and later arrested.

Sedgwick County court records show Barrioz is charged with first-degree murder in the commission of a felony, second-degree reckless but wanton murder, fleeing and eluding, aggravated burglary, theft and criminal damage to property. Charges against Barrioz were filed Thursday, and her first court appearance was scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

Wichita police provided a timeline of the events leading up to the fatal crash Thursday afternoon. According to police, video footage shows Barrioz driving the stolen van into oncoming traffic shortly before it collided with Buckwalter’s vehicle.

Officers first identified the stolen vehicle using a license plate reader and began following it in an unmarked car. When the vehicle stopped near the Walmart at Rock Road and 29th St., officers approached, but Barrioz was able to escape even after hitting police spike strips. A Kansas Highway Patrol aerial unit then began monitoring the vehicle.

Barrioz then abandoned the first stolen car and took off in a stolen white van, which eventually struck Buckwalter’s car near 29th and Wilderness, leading to the fatal crash.

Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said department policy prohibits officers from pursuing a suspect solely for vehicle theft.

“This incident validates our tracking policies,” Sullivan said. “It’s a terrible, terrible outcome, but it’s just the result of the terrible choices made by the driver of that vehicle and not the actions of the Wichita Police Department.”

WPD updated its tracking policies in July, implementing stricter guidelines in response to similar incidents.

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