Playboy Model Charged With Murder After 71-Year-Old's Body Found in a Trunk
By R.J. Johnson - @rickerthewriter
March 29, 2019
Las Vegas Police say they've arrested a 25-year-old Playboy model in connection with the death of a 71-year-old doctor whose body was discovered inside the trunk of an abandoned car earlier this month.
Kelsey Nichole Turner, 25, was arrested in Stockton, California on March 21 by detectives from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and members of a Stockton FBI task force, a press release from the department said. Detectives identified Turner as a suspect after an investigation revealed evidence that connected her to the death of Thomas Burchard, a 71-year-old child psychiatrist from Salinas, California.
Social media accounts for the 25-year-old indicate she is a model who lives in Las Vegas, who previously posed for Playboy.
Turner is awaiting extradition back to Clark County jail where she faces a murder charge, jail records show.
On March 7, 2019, an abandoned vehicle was located on State Route 147, near mile marker 14 with a deceased male inside the trunk. An investigation by #LVMPD Homicide Detectives led to the arrest of 25-year-old Kelsey Turner in this incident. #LVMPDnews pic.twitter.com/rjYYJNeL3G
— LVMPD (@LVMPD) March 28, 2019
Police say Burchard's body was discovered March 7 inside the trunk of an abandoned vehicle. A witness reported seeing the car to police, who later searched the vehicle where they discovered the 71-year-old's body in the trunk. An autopsy revealed Burchard died from blunt force trauma to the head and his death was ruled a homicide.
It's unclear who owns the car where Burchard's body was discovered. Detectives have also remained mum on what evidence they have that identified Turner as a suspect in Burchard's murder.
According to a spokeswoman for Montage Health, Burchard worked near Salinas for the Monterey, California-based company for nearly 40 years in the behavioral health program. The Las Vegas Review Journal reports the 71-year-old was a respected child psychiatrist who would perform magic tricks for his patients as a hobby.
Police are urging anyone who might have information about Burchard's death to contact Metro's homicide division at 702-828-3521.
Photo: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department