In the quiet Longbranch Mobile Home Community near Derby, Kansas, the life of 49-year-old Sharmaine Marlene Burke came to a tragic and violent end on the night of July 30, 2025. A frantic 911 call made by Burke herself at 11:32 p.m. set in motion a chain of events that would leave her family and community in shock. On the line with emergency dispatchers, a frightened Burke reported that her son-in-law, 29-year-old Stephen J. Rogers of Wichita, was intoxicated and threatening to shoot her.
Crucially, she also conveyed that her eight-year-old grandson, Rogers' own son, was present in the home with them.
The 911 operator remained on the line, a silent witness to the escalating horror. Just minutes into the call, the dispatcher heard the chilling sound of gunshots, and then the line fell silent. Deputies from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office were dispatched and arrived at the scene at 11:41 p.m. to a grim discovery. They found Sharmaine Burke inside her home with multiple gunshot wounds to her upper body. Despite the immediate life-saving efforts of the deputies and emergency medical services, Burke succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at 11:57 p.m.
Upon their arrival, law enforcement quickly realized that both the suspect, Stephen Rogers, and the young boy were no longer at the residence. This sparked an urgent search for the child and the armed suspect. A description of Rogers' vehicle was broadcast to surrounding law enforcement agencies. The search utilized FLOCK camera technology, which detected Rogers' vehicle in Augusta, Kansas, at 12:30 a.m. on July 31st. This critical information allowed officers from the Butler County Sheriff's Office to quickly locate and stop the vehicle on U.S. Highway 54.
Inside the car, they found Stephen Rogers and, to their immense relief, his eight-year-old son, who was physically unharmed. Rogers initially refused to exit the vehicle, leading to a tense fifteen-minute negotiation with officers. He eventually surrendered and was taken into custody. He was later booked into the Sedgwick County jail on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child endangerment. The young boy, who had tragically witnessed the murder of his grandmother, was taken into protective custody. It was later revealed that the boy had been in his grandmother's care following the death of his mother the previous year.
