In the quiet, rural landscape of Sedgwick County, Kansas, the morning of October 30, 2017, was shattered by a grim discovery. The body of a 40-year-old White / Caucasian female named Tamsen Renee Kayzer was found by a passerby alongside railroad tracks in the 10800 block of South Meridian, near the small community of Peck. Responding deputies immediately noted signs of trauma, and it was clear her death was not accidental.
An investigation into a homicide was launched, turning a tranquil, remote area into a crime scene.
As investigators began to piece together the final hours of Kayzer's life, suspicion quickly fell upon her long-term, on-and-off boyfriend, Darnell D. Coleman. Their relationship was described by Kayzer's daughters as toxic and abusive. The night before her body was found, on October 29, the couple had a heated exchange on Facebook in which Coleman accused Kayzer of cheating on him. Interviews with relatives revealed that Coleman had shown up at a family member's home late that night, asking for Kayzer. This online confrontation, occurring just hours before her death, provided a powerful motive for investigators. The history between the couple was also troubling; court records showed Coleman had a 2011 conviction for domestic violence against Kayzer, where he had punched her multiple times in the face.
The investigation intensified as law enforcement focused on Coleman. They located his blue Chevy Suburban parked at his residence and observed what appeared to be blood stains on the vehicle's exterior, which later tested positive for Kayzer's blood. A search of his home uncovered more incriminating evidence. Bloodstains were found on a staircase wall, a T-shirt on his bedroom floor, and on a bathtub handle and sponge. Investigators also discovered a shotgun and, significantly, a box of ammunition for a. 38 Special revolver that was missing six bullets. This was consistent with the fact that no shell casings were found at the scene, suggesting the killer had used a revolver. Kayzer had been shot five times, at close range, with wounds to her face and chest.
With mounting evidence against him, a search for Darnell Coleman began. The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office even issued an Old West-style wanted poster to enlist the public's help. A little over two weeks after Kayzer's body was discovered, Coleman was located and arrested. He was charged with first-degree premeditated murder. In April 2021, a jury found him guilty of the slaying of Tamsen Kayzer. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 50 years, bringing a measure of justice to a case that began with a jealous rage and ended in a tragic loss of life.
