Death may be linked to fight
Staff writer
The death early Sunday of 33-year-old Lehigh resident Ryan Schierling is under investigation by the sheriff’s office because of a suspected link to an altercation in rural McPherson County.
Emergency medical services were called when Schierling was found not breathing in the bed of a pickup in the garage at his residence.
Deputy Aaron Christner, a part-time emergency medical technician who lives at Lehigh, arrived at the scene first. When he realized medics would not be able to resuscitate Schierling, he closed off the area as a crime scene and summoned additional deputies.
Sheriff Jeff Soyez, undersheriff Larry Starkey, and deputies Kaylan Miles and Josh Meliza took statements from Schierling’s wife and collected evidence from the scene.
No external injuries were apparent, Soyez said.
Officers remained at the scene until 5:24 a.m. and continued working on the case at the sheriff’s office in Marion until 8:37 a.m.
“We made sure everything we could do for the family that morning, we did,” Soyez said.
According to Captain Dean Scott of the McPherson County sheriff’s office, the altercation is believed to have taken place is the 1000 block of 21st Ave. in McPherson County.
McPherson County undersheriff Skyler Christians declined to say whether the death is being investigated as a homicide. He said further information will be released later.