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UPDATE: Memorial Planned For Tanya Tandoc

KMUW

Updated June 8, 2015, at 12:42 p.m.

Friends and family of the late Tanya Tandoc are hosting a memorial celebration for the Wichita chef and frequent KMUW commentator.

"Tanya Tandoc: A Celebration of Life" will take place Thursday, June 11, at 6:30 at the Wichita Orpheum Theatre in Wichita's downtown area.

Tandoc, 45, was found dead in the basement of her home Thursday night of blunt force trauma, Wichita Police confirmed Friday morning. Curtis Mitchell, 47, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Tandoc's death.

Tandoc's restaurant, Tanya's Soup Kitchen, re-opened Monday after temporarily closing for the weekend, according to the restaurant's Facebook and Twitter.  

Updated June 5, 2015, at 5:09 p.m.

KMUW Commentator and restaurant owner Tanya Tandoc, 45, was killed in Wichita last night, allegedly by a man who was living in her house. KMUW’s Carla Eckels reports…

Curtis C. Mitchell, 47, who Wichita Police say had been living in Tandoc's basement for several months, was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail this morning on first-degree murder charges. Dan Dillon, spokeperson for the District Attorney’s office, said Mitchell could make a first appearance in court to hear the charge against him as early as Monday afternoon, but it could be later in the week.

Tanya Tandoc, owner of Tanya’s Soup Kitchen in Wichita, was found dead in the basement of her home last night. Wichita Police say the cause of death is blunt force trauma.

Updated June 5, 2015, at 1:25 p.m.

KMUW has lost a family member. We learned this morning that station commentator and local chef Tanya Tandoc was killed in her home last night. KMUW's Aileen LeBlanc reports.

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Tanya Tandoc, owner of Tanya's Soup Kitchen in Wichita, has been a food commentator for KMUW since September 2010.

Wichita Police Lt. Todd Ojile announced at a briefing this morning that a man living in the basement of Tandoc's house has been arrested and booked on charges of first-degree murder. [You can watch the full briefing below.]

"The officers were in front of the house contacting the original calling party who sent them there on the check-the-welfare (call) when the 47-year-old male inside the residence called 911 and stated that he had killed his girlfriend," Ojile told reporters.

Then man then exited the house and again told officers he had "killed his girlfriend, and that she was inside the residence," Ojile said.

Backup officers were called to the home, where they found a 45-year-old woman identified as Tandoc in the basement. She was pronounced dead at approximately 11:37 p.m.

Police say the cause of death was blunt force trauma. Curtis C. Mitchell was arrested and charged in Tandoc's death.

KMUW will have a tribute to Tandoc and her work at the station this afternoon during All Things Considered. Please share your memories of Tanya on KMUW's Facebook page.

You can watch the full police briefing here.

Updated June 5, 2015, at 11:51 a.m.

Wichita Police confirm the death of KMUW food commentator and restaurant owner Tanya Tandoc. KMUW’s Carla Eckels reports.

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In a news briefing this morning Wichita Police Lt. Todd Ojile told reporters a 45-year old woman identified as Tanya Tandoc was found dead last night in the basement of her home. A man at the residence told officers he had killed his girlfriend, Ojile said.

“Early this morning a 47-year-old male that lived at the residence was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail for first degree murder," Ojile said.

The man was later identified by the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Department as Curtis C. Mitchell.

Police say the preliminary cause of death is blunt force trauma. Officers say it’s unclear what the relationship was between Tandoc and Mitchell, who Ojile said had been living in Tandoc's basement for several months.

Curtis was taken to the Sedgwick County Jail on charges of first-degree murder. The homicide remains under investigation. 

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KMUW News is a team of dedicated on-air and digital reporters working to tell the stories of Wichita and its residents.