On March 30, 2020, when 24-year-old White/Caucasian female Mickayla Sorell failed to appear for her job in Wichita, Kansas, concerned colleagues were unable to reach her. This uncharacteristic absence prompted a request for a welfare check at her home in the 4400 block of South Walnut. When police arrived, they made a devastating discovery. Inside the residence lay the bodies of Mickayla and her 8-year-old daughter, Natayla.
Both had been shot to death.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly centered on a single person of interest: Daniel Lopez, who was Mickayla's 25-year-old boyfriend and the father of young Natayla. Authorities determined that the fatal shootings had not occurred on the day of the discovery, but rather two days prior, on Saturday, March 28, 2020. With Lopez identified as the primary suspect, a search was initiated, and the public was warned that he should be considered armed and dangerous. For more than a week, Lopez managed to evade capture.
The manhunt concluded on April 10, 2020, when law enforcement located and arrested Daniel Lopez at a family member's home. He was taken into custody without incident and subsequently charged with capital murder, criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and aggravated assault. In June 2020, Lopez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for Mickayla's death and second-degree murder for his daughter's death. As a result of the plea, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 50 years. The judge also imposed a consecutive sentence of more than 15 years for the second-degree murder conviction, ensuring that even if he is granted parole on the first charge, he will have to serve additional time.
