WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A man who pleaded guilty to the death of a Wichita woman who was reported missing this summer was sentenced Monday to life in prison.

Kyle Bearden appeared in Sedgwick County District Court, where he was given a sentence of life in prison for first-degree murder and 181 months for the additional charges of kidnapping, aggravated robbery and burglary in the death of 30-year-old Mariana Christian.

Bearden pleaded guilty to those charges at his August preliminary hearing.

Christian's body was found near Cottonwood Park on Tuesday, July 29, nearly two weeks after she had disappeared. She had been reported missing after a friend went to her home to check on her and encountered Bearden, who said Christian had left July 18 and he had not seen her since.

A later search o

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