How Could You? Hall of Shame-Kennedy Jean Schroer (Natalie Marie Garcia)case-Child Death UPDATED
This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.
A 2020 case has come to light.
From Rose Hill, Kansas, adoptee Kennedy Jean Schroer, 6, was “found … in the backyard of her adopted family’s home, where it 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 to the family’s home earlier this month and on Friday, the department announced that the body was identified as Kennedy Jean Schroer, who would have been around 6 years old when she originally died in November 2020.
The Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center, which made the ID, was unable to determine a cause of death due to the decomposition of the body. Police said the forensic preliminary report noted no visible injuries.
Officers had gone to Kennedy’s family’s home on Sept. 10 to respond to a report of an adult there possibly barricaded and threatening to harm themself, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported.
While they were at the home, “information was developed of a past homicide” and they uncovered human remains in the backyard, Rose Hill police chief Taylor Parlier said, according to the local paper.
Police have not made any arrests in the case yet, sparking calls for justice from Kennedy’s biological mother.
“We understand that many in the public might be confused how an arrest in this case has not
been made. That is completely understandable,” the Rose Hill Police Department said in a press release.
“What we would like to convey is that we have one chance to gather as much information as possible, to find out what happened to this child and to tell her story. While we understand the desire to hold persons accountable, we need to get this correct and not fast.”
The department says releasing too much information may appear to implicate some people who were not involved. Police said that 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 that her children would have a chance to pursue a better life outside her custody and is still trying to rationalize how things could have gone so wrong.
“The state of Kansas has failed my kids, 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 that she pled such a powerful case that the department collectively feels as if they are tied to Kennedy and her investigation forever.
“We’re all humans; It’s easy to look at people in uniforms as robots, like becoming numb over the course of the years. I can promise you that nobody involved in this case is numb to these events,” Parlier told KSN.
“As this has been said multiple times, this is not normal for Rose Hill, but this is not normal for New York City or Philadelphia or Chicago; this is an abnormal event, and as a result, it’s affecting people in those ways.”
The Rose Hill School District confirmed Kennedy’s kindergarten enrollment in 2020, but revealed that her adoptive parents withdrew her to explore homeschooling.
The future custody of Kennedy’s two sisters is still up in the air as the investigation continues. Helm said that the family is exploring legal counsel and that she hopes to bring them both home.”
REFORM Puzzle Piece
UPDATE:
A woman has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for killing her 6-year-old adopted daughter, who was found buried in the backyard of a Kansas home last year. Crystina Schroer, the adopted mother of Kennedy Schroer, was sentenced to 215 months in prison in a Butler County courtroom on Monday.
In August, Schroer was found guilty of second-degree murder, child abuse, making a false writing and theft.In September 2024, law enforcement dug up the backyard of a home in a residential neighborhood. There, they found the remains of Kennedy Schroer, who was born with the name Natalie. Police had initially responded to Schroers’ home after Crystina had threatened to kill herself.
“She buried her. She double-bagged her in trash bags, dug a hole on her own property, and buried her right outside the master bedroom,” said Butler County Attorney Darrin Devinney. “That master bedroom… where they continued to sleep for four years, right next to the corpse of that small child.”
According to a court document, Crystina told police that years before, in December 2020, she found Kennedy in a box with blankets and other objects piled on top. She said she tried to revive Kennedy with CPR and gave her a cold shower. Upon realizing she was dead, Crystina said she wrapped the girl’s body in a sheet and put her in the car.
The document says Crystina didn’t take the girl to the hospital. But, instead, drove around with the body for several hours. One of Kennedy’s sisters told investigators that Crystina used the box as punishment. The girl said her mother would pile objects onto the box to stop a child inside from moving. She says her mother left with Kennedy’s body and that her sister wasn’t there when Crystina came back.
A report by the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center stated Kennedy died by suffocation and that her death was likely a homicide. Crystina’s husband, Joseph Schroer, pleaded no contest to two counts of aggravated endangering a child and Medicaid fraud. He is set to be sentenced on Dec. 3. Kennedy was born in Natalie Marie Garcia in July 2014. The Schroers named her Kennedy Jean when they adopted her in 2019.”
[October 2025]
UPDATE 2:“On Feb. 3, 2025, Rose Hill police arrested Crystina Schroer and Natalie’s adopted father, Joseph Schroer, in connection with the girl’s death. Crystina Schroer was initially charged with murder, child abuse, and failure to report the death of a child, among various other charges.
Prosecutors said Crystina Schroer was abusive to multiple children under her care. Butler County Attorney Darrin Devinney said they’re giving the children all the help they can provide. “They’re receiving anything and everything that they possibly need, not just to get over the trauma of what went on at [the Schroer] home, but also we want them to be safe, stable, productive and give them some permanency as well, so they can lead hopefully a productive life,” Devinney said.
Among those attending Monday’s sentencing were Natalie’s biological mother, sister and grandmother. They described the six-year-old as having an infectious smile who was loved beyond measure. Natalie’s biological mother, Christa Helm, described her as “a good girl who just needed love.” As the case moves forward, sentencing against Joseph Schroer is set for next month. Joseph Schrower pleaded no contest last month to two counts of aggravated endangering a child and Medicaid fraud in the death of his adopted daughter. Counts involving making false information and interfering with law enforcement were dismissed.” Mother receives sentence for death of her adopted daughter found buried in backyard [KTRE 11/11/25 by Jeffrey Lutz and Dorothy Sedovic] “
Joseph Schroer gets 60 days in jail and 4 years probation. He’s is subject to 14 months in prison if he violates probation.
Rose Hill man gets jail time, probation for role in death of 6-year-old adopted daughter
[Kake 12/3/25]
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