Several tips were received by local investigators after KSN Television, Wichita, aired an Unsolved Murder segment last week on the disappearance of Arkansas Cityan Stan Galbreath 22 years ago.
"The main reason we aired it was to try and come up with new information from people who feel they can come forward now who maybe couldn't earlier," said Cowley County Sheriff Bob Odell. "Or, maybe some people just became aware of the issue."
Galbreath was 37 years old, a husband and father, when he vanished after making two deliveries for a meat processing plant in Winfield. His body has never been found.
"We've received a couple of calls. There are things we are following up on. Hopefully, we'll have some more calls," Odell said.
Lead investigator for the Galbreath case was then-Kansas Bureau of Investigation Agent Bill Mueller. He and Galbreath attended Winfield High School at the same time and played football together.
Mueller recently retired from the KBI and is now an investigator for the sheriff's office. He has no doubt that Galbreath is dead.
Galbreath was abducted and killed and the meat was stolen from the 18-foot refrigerated truck he was driving for Prairieland Processors, investigators believe.
Further, they think the meat was targeted and Galbreath happened to be the person driving the truck that day.
Two meat deliveries were made before Galbreath disappeared. One delivery was in Wichita and one at Valley Center High School. Mueller thinks the initial contact with Galbreath was somewhere north of Valley Center.
"It appears they kept him in the truck and that he was killed in or near the truck," Mueller said in an earlier interview.
The truck was found the next morning in Wichita with 250 boxes containing 15,000 pounds of processed-boxed beef missing. Galbreath's sunglasses and ball cap were found in the cab of the truck. So was some blood later identified as Galbreath's.
"Anytime we can't solve a case, it's frustrating," Odell said. "We wish there were a way to solve every one of them."
The sheriff urged anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 221-7777 or 442-7777. The caller may remain anonymous.
