WICHITA, KS – The tight-knit community of Wichita is grappling with the shocking and brutal murder of a 93-year-old woman, Joanne Johnson, allegedly at the hands of two teenage girls. Authorities are still searching for explanations behind the senseless act that shattered a peaceful neighborhood over Labor Day weekend last year.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation reported the arrest of two 13-year-old girls in connection to Johnson’s death. Despite extensive investigative efforts, a motive remains elusive as the suspects did not know Johnson prior to the attack.

In a heartbreaking disclosure this week, Johnson’s family revealed that she was savagely beaten to death with a hatchet. The assault was so severe that her physical features were rendered unrecognizable, a detail her son recounted with distress.

“I still think it’s a safe neighborhood and a safe town, but when we walked in, she was literally unrecognizable,” he said. “If we hadn’t seen her tennis shoes, I wouldn’t have known who she was.”

No evidence of robbery was found, indicating the attackers were not seeking valuables. On the day of the murder, Johnson’s son had initially tried reaching her by phone. Unconcerned when she didn’t answer, he and his wife later rode their bicycles to her home on Robbins Street, only to discover the horrific scene.

“It’s not something that you imagine,” her son said. “My mom was just a couple of weeks shy of 94 years old.”

Johnson, who lived in the same house for nearly 70 years, was remembered as a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She had a passion for Jayhawks basketball and worked at Boeing before dedicating her life to her family.

Governor Laura Kelly took the unusual step of issuing an executive order offering a $5,000 reward for information as investigators worked to solve the case. Almost a year later, two 14-year-old girls were apprehended and charged with first-degree murder. Kansas law generally precludes juveniles under 14 from being prosecuted as adults, shielding their identities.

The Kansas statute states that no juvenile under 14 shall be prosecuted as an adult. However, Johnson’s son argues for an interpretation of the law that could allow the alleged perpetrators to be tried as adults due to the extreme nature of the crime.

“We’re reconciling two facts that we do know: This was an unbelievably, heinous, brutal murder and the fact it’s two juveniles, that statutes allow them to be charged as adults and that’s what we want to see happen,” he asserted.

In late August, Butler County prosecutors formally charged the girls with murder. During their arraignment, a judge ordered them to remain detained in separate juvenile facilities. Given the current laws, the maximum sentence would keep the suspects in juvenile detention until they are 22-and-a-half years old.

Authorities have not disclosed how they identified the teenage suspects, likely due to the strict juvenile criminal code in Kansas. As the legal proceedings continue, the victim’s family remains the primary source of updates, as a judge recently denied a request to release the probable cause affidavit for the arrests.

The community’s quest for understanding and closure persists, shadowed by the seemingly inexplicable nature of the crime.