A man suspected in the abduction of a Topeka child now faces two counts of first-degree murder. Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced Wednesday that Christopher K.W. Barnshaw, 32, has been formally charged in connection with the deaths of Sean E. Thornton, 55, and Ashley T. Brown, 29.
The investigation began around 9:50 a.m. on Tuesday, July 22, when Topeka Police officers responded to a welfare check at a residence on NE Wabash Avenue. Inside, they discovered the bodies of Thornton and Brown. The subsequent investigation led to the discovery that a child had been abducted from the scene, prompting an Amber Alert.
Later that day, the missing child was found unharmed following a traffic stop near Charleston, Illinois. Officers with the Mattoon Police Department located the child and arrested Barnshaw. The child has since been returned to the care of his father.
On July 23, Barnshaw was formally charged in Shawnee County with the following:
* Two counts of First-Degree Murder (Premeditated)
* Aggravated Burglary
* Aggravated Endangering a Child
* Kidnapping
A bond for these charges has been set at $10 million. Barnshaw was initially arrested by police in Mattoon, Illinois, on preliminary charges of aggravated kidnapping and unlawful use of a weapon and is being held at the Coles County Jail.
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