Police identify child whose remains were found in the backyard of a Rose Hill home

Police have identified the remains of the child found buried in the backyard of a home in a cul-de-sac in Rose Hill on Sept. 11.

DNA has confirmed the remains are those of Kennedy Jean Schroer, who was adopted by Crystina and Joe Schroer in November 2019. It’s believed she died in late 2020, Rose Hill chief Taylor Parlier said in a news release Friday morning.

Kennedy was born on July 14, 2014.

“She was a beautiful child, with an infectious smile,” Parlier said in the news release.

Her remains were found in the backyard of a home in the 1400 block of North Meeker Court.

The Schroers have owned the home since at least 2019, according to the earliest available online Butler County tax information.

No one is in custody.

“We understand that many in the public might be confused how an arrest in this case has not been made, that is completely understandable,” Parlier said. “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.”

Why was Kennedy unaccounted for for so long?

Parlier confirmed Christa Helm is Kennedy’s biological mother and that the girl was named Natalie Garcia at birth. Helm told KSN earlier this week that the child who died was one of three daughters she gave up for adoption.

Parlier also said that Helm’s children were in the custody of the Schroers, but all the children in the home had been placed in protective custody.

Earlier this week, he would not say how many children that was.

Helm questioned in an interview with KSN how one of her children could be unaccounted for for so long.

“How does nobody know this child is missing?” Helm, who did not respond to The Eagle earlier this week, told KSN. “Why was (Kansas Department for Children and Families) not checking up on her?”

In response to questions earlier this week, including how a child was not accounted for for years, in an email, DCF spokesperson Erin LaRow said:

“DCF is treating this case’s disclosure as ... a situation involving the death of a child not in the custody of the secretary. Therefore, your questions are better directed to local law enforcement, which leads the investigation and is responsible for filing any charges, if warranted, in the case.”

When asked how Kennedy went unaccounted for for so long, Parlier said: “Accounting for the child is the primary focus of the investigation at this time and therefore I cannot speak more to that question.”

Child’s remains found during mental health call

Police first learned a child was buried in the backyard of the home after responding to a Sept. 10 mental health call where an adult at the residence threatened to harm themselves.

Two other adults and two children were inside as well.

Police eventually took the person, who was barricaded, into custody. That person was then taken to the hospital and has since been released, Parlier said.

The body was found buried 3 feet deep in the backyard the next day. Police ruled it a homicide.

A child’s remains were found buried in a Rose Hill backyard. How police discovered them