WICHITA, Kansas. – A minimum-security resident who escaped from the Wichita Work Release Facility was found dead in southwest Wichita on Friday following a joint law enforcement operation between the Kansas Department of Corrections, the Wichita Police Department and Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, according to a media release from the KDOC.
The Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) was actively pursuing Jauwon Allen, 36, who had walked away from the work release facility Thursday night, August 13, 2026.
Investigators received a tip indicating that Allen may have been at a residence located in southwest Wichita. KDOC agents approached the home to apprehend him.
As KDOC agents approached the residence and announced their presence, they heard a single gunshot from inside. Agents backed away from the residence and established a perimeter, requesting assistance from the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and Wichita Police Department, who responded to the scene. Law enforcement breached the residence and discovered Allen alone in the home, deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. No law enforcement officers discharged their weapons or were injured during the incident. No injuries to individuals other than Allen are known at this time.
The Kansas Department of Corrections, along with local law enforcement partners, is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the escape and the subsequent incident. The KDOC is grateful to local law enforcement partners for their assistance.