Patsy Terrell, Kansas Democratic Representative, Found Dead In Topeka Hotel Room

Kansas lawmakers offered their condolences and held a moment of silence Wednesday night, after Rep. Patsy Terrell, 55, of Hutchinson was found dead in a hotel room near the State Capitol in Topeka, Kansas.

Heather Scanlon, the spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Jim Ward’s office, told the Associated Press that other House members were concerned as Terrell did not attend the House’ afternoon session Wednesday. Several members tried to contact her, but failed to do so, after which the hotel was contacted.

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According to KWCH 12 News, Terrell died of natural causes. Scanlon said the hotel authorities who found Terrell's lifeless body in the room, informed House members about her death. It has also not been found yet as to why Terrell was staying at a hotel.

Rep. Jim Ward (D) Wichita, issued a statement Wednesday evening after the news of Terrell’s death:

"We are heartbroken to share the news that Representative Patsy Terrell passed away today. Patsy cast a bright light in the Kansas House of Representatives and was an unrelenting advocate for the people of District 102 and Hutchinson. She was proud of her work in the legislature and gave it her full commitment. We will miss her cheerful spirit, big smile, and quest for making Kansas a better state."

Terrell, who began serving in Kansas House this year, was elected to the position in November 2016 after defeating veteran state Rep. Jan Pauls, also from Hutchinson. Terrell was a Democrat while Pauls was a conservative Republican, who had changed parties after he had served as a Democrat in the legislature.

Scanlon called Terrell "an unrelenting advocate for the people of District 102 and Hutchinson."

Lawmakers expressed their dismay after learning about her death and some of them said their colleague was a "dedicated representative." "I’m in shock," said Rep. Linda Gallagher, R-Lenexa. "She was a very dedicated representative and focused on doing the very best she could to represent her district in the Hutchinson area," Gallagher said. "She was one of the driving forces behind trying to get the very best possible tax bill that we could get," she added.

Gallagher said that Terrell was a freshman lawmaker, who was elected in fall 2016 and that she was holding out for a full repeal of the governor, Samuel Dale Brownback’s tax policies, CJonline reported.

"She ended up compromising on that, but she never compromised on her principles," Gallagher said. She also said that Terrell was a part of the Women’s Caucus and supported that group throughout.

"She was very focused on what her constituents sent her to Topeka to do," Gallagher said. "Her enthusiasm was just very evident. She was excited to be here and was devoted to her position."

Several lawmakers gathered at the hotel bar to offer their condolences to the Democratic representative, following the news of her sudden demise. Topeka police Lt. Aaron Jones stated that they had found no indications foul play while they were investigating the scene of death at the hotel.

Terrell even posted on social media hours before her death, which said: "You’re waking up in a Kansas where the Brownback experiment has ended. Good morning!"

City councilwoman Jade Piros de Carvalho also reacted to the news of Terrell’s death and said it was an enormous loss to the community.

"I can just tell you that she was an incredible asset to our community and she was loved by thousands of people," de Carvalho said.

"She made such a lasting impact on Hutchinson, well before she was ever in the Legislature. She started amazing initaitives here; she supported an enormous amount of community efforts. She was a positive force for good, always smiling," she added.