Found Deceased KS - Jonathan Clayton, 42, interim Peabody city clerk, failed to show up for work meeting, Peabody, 3 Aug 2024

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*Clayton’s husband, Christopher King, said in an interview on Monday that Clayton is under investigation for his handling of money for the state of Kansas and while serving multiple board positions in his hometown of Mullinville, a small town west of Greensburg. The Kansas Department of Commerce said it’s assisting state and federal law enforcement.

Clayton previously pleaded guilty to theft and forgery in Pennsylvania stemming from his misuse of an employer’s credit cards to bolster his and his partner’s fledgling theater company. He was sentenced in 2018 to five years probation and was ordered to pay $210,000 in restitution.

Less than a week after he was reported missing, Clayton claimed in an email purporting to be from him that his disappearance was related to his role in a “scheme” to steer pandemic aid toward pre-selected awardees at the direction of Lt. Gov. David Toland, a Democrat who is also the Kansas secretary of commerce.
 

Mystery of missing clerk grows deeper; money disappears from hometown

…
The Mullinville Community Foundation has the same address as a grant consulting business, Clutch Professionals, registered Aug. 15, 2022, with the secretary of state as being founded by Clayton and a partner, Braxton Hutchinson.

Its corporate registration expired April 15 after the partners failed to make required reports to the secretary of state.

Besides having the same business address as Clutch Professionals, Mullinville Community Foundation’s 2022 annual report lists Clayton as a foundation board member.

When Clayton and Hutchinson opened their business, both were employed by Commerce. Clayton worked for the agency from Feb. 23, 2020, until Nov. 20. Hutchinson has worked for Commerce since April 17, 2002, and is still employed there.

The suit against Mullinville Community Foundation

According to a complaint filed against Mullinville Community Foundation, Commerce gave the foundation four notices — June 30, July 2, July 8, and July 16 — to correct grant defaults.
…
The complaint says Commerce thinks the community foundation is in possession of $211,251.67 in unexpended grant money.

Money allegedly is missing from from more than the foundation.

Mullinville Cemetery Board President Max Liggett said board members were reviewing records of withdrawals from its bank account that go back to 2021.

At that time, Clayton and his husband, Peabody city council member Christopher King, lived in Mullinville and were remodeling a house, Liggett said.

Thefts from the cemetery board, of which Clayton is a member, came to light about two weeks ago.
…
At the time Clayton and Hutchinson registered Clutch Professionals as a business entity, Clayton was a regional project manager for Kansas Department of Commerce.
 
Sad news. Article is available only to subscribers. There was another article but I get a 404 error now when I click on the link, so I've removed it from this post.

AUG 25, 2024
harveycountynow.com

Deceased body believed to be missing Peabody clerk

By Jessie Wagoner, Laura Fowler Paulus, and Adam Strunk The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has confirmed a body, believed to be Jonathan Clayton, Peabody interim city clerk was located Sunday afternoon. Christopher King, husband, called a reporter at Harvey County Now/Hillsboro Free Press to inf
harveycountynow.com harveycountynow.com
By Harvey County Now Staff Law enforcement has located a body that they believe to be Jonathan Clayton. Clayton, the interim clerk for the...
 
www.kake.com

Body found inside car identified as Peabody Interim City Clerk Jonathan Clayton

The man has been identified as Jonathan Clayton, 42, of Peabody.
www.kake.com www.kake.com

Body found believed to be missing Peabody Interim City Clerk Jonathan Clayton​


"The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) are conducting a death investigation after a fatal crash site was discovered in Harvey County, Kansas.

...

A deceased male body was located inside the vehicle.

...

Investigators suspect the vehicle was driven off the road, where it crashed into a tree."
 
AUG 25, 2024
[...]

Christopher King, husband of Clayton, called a reporter at Harvey County Now/Hillsboro Free Press to inform them of the development. He said he spoke with law enforcement Sunday evening, and they had communicated that his husband’s body was located.

[...]

[Sheriff] Gay said his office found a vehicle north of U.S. Highway 50, near the Old Trail Road junction, just east of Newton.

[...]

...His cell phone was last pinged from a cell phone tower that morning at the Newton Holiday Inn Express, where those working reported Clayton had gone into use the bathroom.
 
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a statement that the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office received a call at approximately 2:45 p.m. Sunday from a property owner who found a 2011 Chevy Silverado crashed on his property. The KBI said the vehicle was registered to Clayton.

A “deceased male body” was found inside the vehicle when deputies responded. The KBI said a “positive identification remains pending” and that an autopsy will be performed.

“Investigators suspect the vehicle was driven off the road, where it crashed into a tree,” the KBI said.
www.yahoo.com

Truck of missing ex-Kansas official involved in fatal crash, with one dead, KBI says

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said a truck registered to Jonathan L. Clayton was found in Harvey County on Sunday with a dead man inside.
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com

While Peabody officials continue to emphasize that no money has been found to be missing there, Mullinville officials have stated that $190,000 appears to be missing in their city

The Commerce Department has filed suit, asking for the return of $425,398 in grant money awarded in Mullinville and has given Peabody Main Street until Sept. 4 to complete paperwork or return $740,000 in grant money awarded there.

Commerce, where Clayton worked from February, 2020, until November, 2023, began examining grants he was involved with after it was reported that he had been sentenced in 2018 for financial felonies in Pennsylvania and still owed $195,712.50 of $210,000 in restitution he was ordered to pay.
 
harveycountynow.com

Deceased body believed to be missing Peabody clerk

By Harvey County Now Staff Law enforcement has located a body that they believe to be Jonathan Clayton. Clayton, the interim clerk for the City of Peabody, has been missing since Aug. 3. Christopher King called a reporter at Harvey County Now to inform them of the development. He said he s
harveycountynow.com harveycountynow.com

Sheriff Chad Gay confirmed that the Harvey County Sheriff’s Department investigated a report of a crashed vehicle shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

Gay said his office found a vehicle north of U.S. Highway 50, near the Old Trail Road junction, just east of Newton.

He said deputies investigated the scene and believed the vehicle was heading westbound on U.S. Highway 50 toward Newton when it left the roadway and hit a tree. Gay said the location of the vehicle was difficult to see from the roadway. He said the body located was in a state of advanced decay. He said evidence found on the scene indicated the body belonged to Clayton.
Officially, the identity of the vehicle’s occupant will be confirmed through medical analysis.

Gay stated that he expected the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to put out a press release later this evening.
 
truthfinder2019 said:

Email purportedly from Clayton

Full email in link, too long to be copied here

It starts like this:

This message has been automatically sent following the death or incapacitation of Jonathan Clayton.

I, Jonathan Clayton, am providing the following information in writing as I am no longer capable of testifying or providing a sworn statement. As this message is only being provided after my death, I pray that those named below may be reviewed for any participation in my untimely demise.
Click to expand...
It shocks me that a newspaper would print the receipients' email addresses. There's zero reason to do that and it seems extremely invasive.
 
Occam's Zebra said:
It shocks me that a newspaper would print the receipients' email addresses. There's zero reason to do that and it seems extremely invasive.
Click to expand...

I hope the autopsy is able to conclusively prove this was a suicide. I have too many memories of old movies or books in my head describing a murder, then the villain pushes the car (or truck) off the road so it appears an accident occurred.

Otherwise driving off the road to find a tree to hit doesn’t seem like a very guaranteed means for a person intending to ensure their death occurs. They could be badly injured, alive and suffering for days but eventually found.

JMO
 
ClearAhead said:
I hope the autopsy is able to conclusively prove this was a suicide. I have too many memories of old movies or books in my head describing a murder, then the villain pushes the car (or truck) off the road so it appears an accident occurred.

Otherwise driving off the road to find a tree to hit doesn’t seem like a very guaranteed means for a person intending to ensure their death occurs. They could be badly injured, alive and suffering for days but eventually found.

JMO
Click to expand...
Suicide by vehicle isn't a guaranteed, depending on the speed and what you may or may not hit. Putting a body in a car and getting it off the road at high enough speed to mimic a suicide by car is way more difficult than you'd think. Off topic - but I had a case (public knowledge now) where we found a small plane crashed, woman appeared dead from a head injury, man (owner/estranged husband/pilot) was found dead, not a mark on him. But her head injuries were POST mortem. Autopsy revealed a bullet in her head. Apparently, he got her to go fly with him in a "reconcilation", shot her, attempted to push her out of the little puddlejumper plane over a remote area, and crashed into trees into the process. He then tried to make her death look like it was from the accident. He then realized he was a hundred miles from help with no food or water. He drank a bottle of booze on the plane, committing suicide by ethanol intoxication.
 
Occam's Zebra said:
It shocks me that a newspaper would print the receipients' email addresses. There's zero reason to do that and it seems extremely invasive.
Click to expand...
I am not shocked. This is my neck of the woods and the newspaper coverage can be vicious.

Did you ever hear about a newspaper office that was raided by the local Sheriff's Dept. in Marion Ks and how everyone was in such an outrage? It was sensational to be sure. And, it was wrong for the Department to do that. But, the best way to ruin a good story is to hear the other side my gram always used to say. There are a handful of local papers published by Hoch, and they can be found here. They publish whatever suits their agenda--one hairdresser in Marion was run out of town because the paper (that was raided) smeared her name and suggested she was a prostitute. It's unbelievable but -- Freedom of the Press, right?

These are tiny little towns and blood is thicker than water here. There is no journalistic integrity of which to speak. The Marion raid was unfortunate to be sure, but we're talking about four tiny newspapers who have near-total control of the communities they serve.

I'm not shocked at all. This is status quo here.
 
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) has positively identified the man found inside the truck near U.S. Highway 50 and Interstate 135 on Aug. 26 as Jonathan Clayton, 42 of Peabody, the KBI announced in a news release Thursday evening.

An autopsy was conducted, but the final autopsy report is pending. Currently, investigators have not found evidence of foul play. The investigation is ongoing.
This identification comes the same day the Kansas Department of Commerce (KDC) responded to allegationsmade by Clayton.
…
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s office released a statement around 4:30 p.m. Aug. 29.

“The governor’s comments regarding Jonathan Clayton’s employment at the Kansas Department of Commerce were specifically referencing an independent review the Department of Commerce has requested to investigate any ARPA grants that Jonathan Clayton was involved in. Lieutenant Governor David Toland initiated this additional step several weeks ago as an extra precaution.
Lieutenant Governor Toland has conducted himself at the highest ethical standards throughout his entire career and has brought important reforms to the Kansas Department of Commerce, including the creation of the incentive transparency database, strong incentive clawback policies, and strict reporting requirements for all programs. He has worked to bring more, not less, accountability to the agency.
Clearly, Jonathan Clayton was able to avoid the discovery of his criminal convictions. His financial crimes coming to light, and questions about his involvement with local organizations that received ARPA grants, appear to have set off the chain of events that have occurred over the last several weeks.
The governor and lieutenant governor will be pursuing changes to the background check statutes this upcoming legislative session. In the meantime, they will be working to sort out issues with those impacted at the local level and will provide whatever support they can to those communities.”
Click to expand...
 

Kansas hired ex-official with felonies. Why didn’t a national background check happen?

The Kansas Department of Commerce was unable to perform a national criminal background check before it hired Jonathan L. Clayton, the former official now suspected of embezzling federal pandemic aid in Kansas who previously pleaded guilty to felony forgery and theft in Pennsylvania. Clayton, who went missing Aug. 3, was found dead near Newton on Sunday, his husband said, after his truck went off the road and struck a tree. His disappearance came amid growing scrutiny over whether he had mishandled grant funding belonging to various local associations in Mullinville and Peabody, where he lived. At the time of his death, Clayton was Peabody’s interim city clerk after leaving Commerce in 2023. But the bizarre circumstances surrounding Clayton’s disappearance – including an apparently posthumous email from him making various allegations against state officials – have so far received more attention than a fundamental question: How did he get hired at Commerce given his criminal history?

Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article291530520.html#storylink=cpy
 
truthfinder2019 said:

Kansas hired ex-official with felonies. Why didn’t a national background check happen?

The Kansas Department of Commerce was unable to perform a national criminal background check before it hired Jonathan L. Clayton, the former official now suspected of embezzling federal pandemic aid in Kansas who previously pleaded guilty to felony forgery and theft in Pennsylvania. Clayton, who went missing Aug. 3, was found dead near Newton on Sunday, his husband said, after his truck went off the road and struck a tree. His disappearance came amid growing scrutiny over whether he had mishandled grant funding belonging to various local associations in Mullinville and Peabody, where he lived. At the time of his death, Clayton was Peabody’s interim city clerk after leaving Commerce in 2023. But the bizarre circumstances surrounding Clayton’s disappearance – including an apparently posthumous email from him making various allegations against state officials – have so far received more attention than a fundamental question: How did he get hired at Commerce given his criminal history?

Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article291530520.html#storylink=cpy
Click to expand...

I’d be questioning how much influence JC’s husband as a councillor had in JC’s appointment as interim city clerk considering his criminal history, which the husband surely was aware of.

But according to this article, Peabody’s already down a path to failure in many regards so it’s no surprise that to anyone lacking a moral compass the place is like bees to honey. MOO

 
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