Well-known Wichita restaurant owner killed

Wichita police on Friday identified Tanya Tandoc, well-known owner of Tanya’s Soup Kitchen, as the victim of a homicide in the 200 block of South Minneapolis.

A man who lived at the house where her body was found has been arrested, a police official said.

Tandoc, 45, is listed as the owner of the property, according to Sedgwick County property records.

Lt. Todd Ojile gave this account:

Shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday, police responded to a 911 call from a man who wanted them to check the welfare of a 45-year-old woman in the 200 block of South Minneapolis. The man told dispatchers he had been unable to reach her for about 24 hours.

Two officers met a 47-year-old man who lives at the house and spoke with him for several minutes; after interviewing him, the officers returned to their car. While the officers were still outside, the 47-year-old man called 911 and said he had killed his girlfriend, Ojile said.

The 47-year-old man then left the home and went to the officers and told them he had killed his girlfriend and that she was inside, Ojile said.

Officers found Tandoc in the basement, and she was pronounced dead at 11:37 p.m. Based on a preliminary investigation, it appears she died from blunt-force trauma and that she had been dead for several hours when found, Ojile said.

Early Friday morning, the 47-year-old man was booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, Ojile said. Ojile wouldn’t give the man’s name.

Police are still at the scene investigating, Ojile said.

Ojile wouldn’t discuss a possible motive but said it didn’t involve an argument. Police had no history of problems with the man at that residence, he said.

The man lived in the basement and had lived at the home for several months, Ojile said, adding that it wasn’t clear whether the man was simply a roommate or whether he and Tandoc were in a relationship.

Police had varying reports on the nature of the relationship, but the man called her his girlfriend, Ojile said.

The man who had called 911 to report her missing was a friend, Ojile said. Several of her friends had tried to reach her through the day Thursday, and she had not shown up for work and was not answering her cellphone. Apparently the last time someone saw her was Wednesday night, Ojile said.

Tanya’s Soup Kitchen posted on its Twitter account Friday: “All of us in the Tanya’s Soup Kitchen family are deeply grieved by the tragic loss of our visionary leader Tanya Tandoc. We know she was loved by many in our community and beyond and our hearts go out to you. We are committed to ensuring her legacy lives on by continuing to serve you with the same quality you have come to expect from her dream restaurant-made reality in Tanya’s Soup Kitchen. After closing for a brief time to mourn, we will reopen. Please come celebrate Tanya’s life, share your stories of her over a bowl of soup, and help ensure her vision continues for years to come. With much sadness and love in our hearts, Kelly Rae, Sarah O, and The Tanya’s Soup Kitchen Family.”

Rena Hale, who lives across the street from Tandoc’s home, said she awoke late Thursday night to a knock on the door. After peaking out the dining room window, she discovered “swarms of officers and police cars.”

“I thought ‘Oh my god, something devastating has happened,’ ” Hale said.

She said she watched as investigators with flashlights wandered around the property. Yellow crime scene tape went up. The street was blocked off north of the home.

“You hear about things,” she said, “but until it really happens in your neighborhood, across the street, it’s like, ‘Really?’ ”

Hale said she didn’t know Tandoc well, and had exchanged greetings in passing.

“It is (upsetting),” Hale said, choking up, “even though I didn’t know her.”

This story was originally published June 5, 2015 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Well-known Wichita restaurant owner killed."