Kansas police find the decomposing body of an adopted 6-year-old girl who died four years ago in the family’s backyard

Authorities found and identified the decomposing body of a young Kansas girl in the backyard of her adoptive family’s home, where she had been slowly rotting since her death four years ago, investigators said.

Rose Hill police officers discovered the child’s remains while responding to an unrelated call at the family’s home earlier this month, and on Friday police announced that the body was that of Kennedy Jean Schroer, the man present in her original death was probably around six years old in November 2020.

The Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center, which made the identification, was unable to determine a cause of death due to the decomposition of the body. Police said the preliminary forensic report found no visible injuries.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that officers went to Kennedy’s family home on Sept. 10 to respond to a report of an adult who may have barricaded himself there and was threatening to harm himself.

While they were at the house, “information was obtained regarding a past murder” and they discovered human remains in the backyard, Rose Hill Police Chief Taylor Parlier said, according to the local newspaper.

Police have not yet made any arrests in the case, sparking calls for justice from Kennedy’s birth mother.

“We understand that many in the public may be confused as to why an arrest has not been made in this case
been made. This is completely understandable,” the Rose Hill Police Department said in a news release.

“What we want to convey is that we have a chance to gather as much information as possible, find out what happened to this child and tell her story. While we understand the desire to hold people accountable, we need to do it right, not quickly.”

The department says releasing too much information could appear to implicate some people who were not involved. Police said Kennedy’s adoptive parents have been forthcoming with investigators so far.

Christa Helm, who claims to be Kennedy’s biological mother, told KSN that she lost custody of her three daughters in 2018 and that they were all taken in by the Schroers in 2019.

Helm had hoped her children would have a chance at a better life outside of her care and is still trying to explain how things could have gone so wrong.

“The state of Kansas has failed my children, and I want them to get the proper therapy and love they need from their real family, where they belong,” Helm told KSN.

Helm took her fight to Parlier, who said she made such a compelling case that the department as a whole felt like it was forever tied to Kennedy and her investigation.

“We are all human; It’s easy to view people in uniforms as robots, as if they’re becoming deaf over the years. I can promise you that no one involved in this case is deaf to these events,” Parlier told KSN.

“As has been said many times, this is not normal for Rose Hill, but this is also not normal for New York City, Philadelphia or Chicago; This is an unusual event and therefore has a corresponding impact on people.”

The Rose Hill School District confirmed Kennedy’s enrollment in kindergarten in 2020, but announced that her adoptive parents withdrew her to pursue homeschooling.

Future custody of Kennedy’s two sisters is still uncertain as the investigation continues. Helm said the family is seeking legal representation and hopes to bring them both home.