HARVEY COUNTY – 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 near Newton.

At about 2:45 p.m. Aug. 25 the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a property owner who had located a red 2011 Chevy Silverado crashed on his property.

Deputies responded to the area, which was a field near mile marker 32 at the U.S. Highway 50 and Interstate 135 interchange. A deceased male body was located inside the vehicle.

Positive identification remains pending. The registered owner of the vehicle is Jonathan Clayton, 42, of Peabody.

Clayton, the city of Peabody’s interim city clerk, has been since August 3.

The Harvey County Sheriff’s Office requested KBI assistance at approximately 3:10 p.m. KHP’s Critical Highway Accident Response Team also responded to investigate. Investigators suspect the vehicle was driven off the road, where it crashed into a tree.

An autopsy will be conducted. The investigation is ongoing