kansas | My Crime Library

Mariah Thomas Puts Infant Into Oven

Mariah Thomas is a woman from Kansas City Missouri who faces a host of charges after placing her one month old daughter in the oven

According to police reports officers were called to a Kansas City home due to a one month old girl who was unresponsive. When officers arrived they would find one month old Za’Riah Mae dead with burn marks on her tiny body

Mariah Thomas would tell police that she accidentally placed the infant into the oven thinking it was her crib. Za’Riah Mae clothing was burned into her skin and her diaper had melted

Mariah Thomas would be arrested and now faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child

Mariah Thomas News

Prosecutors have charged a Kansas City mother with endangering the welfare of a child after she told police that she mistakenly placed her 1-month-old baby in an oven instead of her crib, according to court documents filed Saturday.

The charge against Mariah Thomas is a Class A felony, prosecutors said Saturday. Her child was declared dead Friday afternoon after emergency workers descended on a home in the 4100 block of Forest Avenue in the Manheim Park neighborhood.

The infant had burn marks on her body and melted clothing, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in support of the criminal charge. In a statement Saturday, Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said she appreciated the first responders and the prosecutors who rushed to the scene where the child was found.

“We acknowledge the gruesome nature of this tragedy and our hearts are weighted by the loss of this precious life,” Baker said. “We trust the criminal justice system to respond appropriately to these awful circumstances.”

Kansas City police responded to the Manheim Park residence at 1:24 p.m. Friday on a report of an infant that was not breathing. According to the police affidavit, the baby lay in a car seat inside the living room near the front door. Officers observed apparent burn wounds on the baby’s body, the affidavit said, and the Kansas City Fire Department declared the child dead at the scene.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article285331992.html

Mariah Thomas More News

A mother has been charged for allegedly placing a 1-month-old baby in an oven, leading to the child’s death.

The woman told family members she accidentally placed the infant in the oven rather than her crib, according to court documents.

Mariah Thomas is charged with endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree, leading to the death of a child, a class A felony.

“We appreciate all first responders who worked this scene and the prosecutors who went to the scene in order to issue these charges,” Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a written statement. “We acknowledge the gruesome nature of this tragedy and our hearts are weighted by the loss of this precious life. We trust the criminal justice system to respond appropriately to these awful circumstances.”

Officers with the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department responded to a home in the 4100 block of Forest Avenue on a report of an infant not breathing.

Police and EMS located an individual holding the 1-month-old baby, who was unresponsive and had burn wounds on her body. The infant was declared deceased at the scene.

The grandfather of the infant told KCPD detectives that he received a call from Thomas around 1 p.m. Friday, who told him that “something was wrong with the baby and that he needed to return home immediately,” according to court documents.

Once he returned home, the grandfather reported smelling smoke inside the residence and allegedly found the infant deceased inside of her crib.

He told detectives that Thomas told him that she thought she put the child in her crib but “accidentally put her in the oven,” per court records.

The grandmother of the infant reported that she received a similar phone call around 1 p.m. from Thomas, who yelled “hysterically” on the phone.

Mariah Thomas and the infant lived with her parents at the residence.

Thomas was taken into custody and reportedly consented for detectives to access her phone data and obtain a blood draw.

Those found guilty of a class A felony are subject to a prison sentence of 10-30 years.

https://www.kshb.com/news/crime/mother-charged-in-death-of-1-month-old-after-allegedly-placing-infant-in-oven-in-midtown-kansas-city

Hayden Lance Murders Mother In Kansas

Hayden Lance is an eighteen year old alleged teen killer from Canton Kansas who has been arrested for the murder of his mother. According to police reports Hayden Lance would be arrested after his mother was discovered in the backyard of their home unresponsive with evident injuries to her body. After Briana Lance was pronounced dead at the scene an investigation began and Hayden Lance would be arrested and taken into custody. Now Hayden Lance has been charged with second degree murder

Hayden Lance More News

A Canton teen has been arrested for the second-degree murder of his mother.

On Monday, Jan. 23, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation says it and the Canton Police Department opened a homicide investigation after a woman was found dead outside her home.

KBI indicated that CPD requested its assistance just before 4 p.m. on Monday. Agents and the Crime Scene Response Team responded to the scene.

It was found that just after 3:30 p.m. Canton Police received a 911 call that said a woman was found unresponsive at 110 W. Allen St. When officers arrived, they found Briana L. Lance, 52, in the backyard

Officials noted that they found signs of injury and trauma to Lance’s body and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

At that point, officials said the McPherson Police Department and McPherson Co. Sheriff’s Office joined the investigation which led to the identification and location of a suspect.

Around 5:40 p.m., KBI indicated that Hayden C. Lance, 18, was arrested for the second-degree murder of his mother, Briana. He was booked into the McPherson Co. Jail.

Officials noted that formal charges are pending and are expected to come from the McPherson Co. District Attorney. The investigation remains ongoing and no further information will be released.

https://www.wibw.com/2023/01/24/canton-teen-arrested-mothers-second-degree-murder/

Kyle Tyler Charged In Fatal Fire That Killed 3 In Kansas

Kyle Tyler is a man from Topeka Kansas who has been charged with multiple counts of murder for setting a fire that would kill one woman and her two children. According to police reports Kyle Tyler would set a home on fire in Topeka Kansas that would claim the lives of Genny L. Fitzpatrick, 30, Peyton L. Tyler, 9, and Kourtney K. Tyler, 1. Kyle Tyler has been charged with murder, aggravated arson, and aggravated child endangerment.

Kyle Tyler More News

Officials say a Kansas man has been arrested on murder and arson charges in relation to a house fire that killed three people, including two children.

The Topeka Fire Department said in a release Saturday that a Friday morning fire that killed three people has been determined by investigators to have been intentionally set. Officials say the incident is being investigated as a homicide that is domestic in nature.

The deceased were identified as Genny L. Fitzpatrick, 30, Peyton L. Tyler, 9, and Kourtney K. Tyler, 1.

Officials say 32-year-old Kyle J. Tyler was released Saturday from the hospital then transported for an interview. He was later arrested and booked for first-degree murder in the commission of a felony, aggravated arson, and aggravated child endangerment.

The suspect is being held at the Shawnee County Department of Corrections. There is no bond listed for him, WIBW reports.

Fire crews responded to a home in central Topeka around 5 a.m. Friday morning. When they arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the two-story home. The fire also spread to a house south of the home where the fire originated.

A total of four people were inside the home when the fire broke out.

Crews pulled an adult and child from the structure and immediately started life-saving measures. Both were rushed to the hospital, where the child was later pronounced dead.

Officials say another adult and child were found unresponsive inside the home and later pronounced dead at the scene.

Topeka Public Schools confirmed later in the day that one of the children killed was Peyton Tyler, a fourth-grader at Lowman Hill Elementary.

“Peyton was a student that had many friends, and she is known for her positivity and her joyful spirit. She was loved by many and will be missed by all of the Lowman Hill students and staff,” said the school district in part in a letter to parents.

https://www.cleveland19.com/2023/01/22/officials-man-arrested-after-house-fire-kills-adult-2-kids/

Amadeus Ballou-Meyer Teen Killer Murders Woman With A Bat

Amadeus Ballou-Meyer was sixteen years old from Topeka Kansas when this teen killer would murder a friend’s mother with a baseball bat. According to court documents Amadeus Ballou-Meyer would attack the victim, Hester Workman, with a baseball bat striking her numerous times causing her death. Since Amadeus Ballou-Meyer was just sixteen years old at the time of the murder he was initially charged as a juvenile however since the crime was so brutal it was sent to adult court. Amadeus Ballou-Meyer would plead guilty to murder and would be sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for fifty years

Amadeus Ballou-Meyer 2023 Information

Amadeus Ballou-Meyer More News

A Topeka teen has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his friend’s mother.

Shawnee Co. District Attorney Mike Kagay says that on Wednesday, Oct. 12, Amadeus Courage Ballou-Meyer was sentenced to prison for the 2021 homicide of Hester Workman.

On April 24, 2021, Kagay noted that officials were called to a home in the 2000 block of SW James St. when a caller reported he had found his mother dead in the garage. When they arrived, they found Workman’s body and her 16-year-old son who reported the murder.

Workman had suffered severe trauma to her head and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Over the next two days, Kagay indicated that a canvas was conducted and surveillance video was collected. During the investigation, it was found that just before Workman’s son arrived home, neighbors saw and video was able to capture a boy running from the home with a baseball bat. The investigation led them to identify Ballou-Meyer as the suspect.

After his arrest, Kagay said Ballou-Meyer confessed that snuck into the house where he attempted to “scare” his friend’s mother, Workman, by pushing her as she came up the steps from the garage into the house. When she fell back and hit her head, he said he panicked and picked up the bat and started to hit her with it.

Kagay said Ballou-Meyer then ran from the scene and threw the bat into the Shunga Creek. A resident had already recovered the bat and turned it over to the police.

Due to his age, the DA said Ballou-Meyer was charged as a juvenile, but he was able to obtain authorization to prosecute him as an adult. In July, he pleaded guilty to premeditated murder in the first degree.

On Wednesday, a Shawnee Co. Court sentenced Ballou-Meyer to serve a life sentence with a minimum of 50 years in prison before he is eligible for parole.

https://www.wibw.com/2022/10/12/topeka-teen-sentenced-life-prison-murder-friends-mother/

Howard Jansen III Pleads Guilty In 3 Year Old’s Murder

Howard Jansen III has plead guilty to the murder of his three year old daughter Olivia Jansen. According to court reports Howard Jansen III admitted to banging the little girl’s head against a wall which caused a brain bleed and led to Olivia Jansen death. According to other children in the home the three year old was punished by being put inside of a dog kennel for lengthy periods of time. Howard Jansen III girlfriend Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick plead guilty to 2nd degree murder earlier this year and is serving a 31 year prison sentence.

Howard Jansen III More News

A Kansas City, Kansas, man will be sentenced March 25 after pleading guilty to killing his 3-year-old daughter.

Howard Jansen III pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder and five other charges.

Police found the body of his daughter, Olivia Jansen, in July 2020 in a wooded area in Kansas City, Kansas, hours after Jansen reported her missing.

An autopsy found she had signs of physical abuse and had died of a brain bleed.

Jansen’s girlfriend, Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick, is serving a 31-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in Olivia’s death.

https://www.kctv5.com/news/howard-jansen-iii-pleads-guilty-in-death-of-3-year-old-daughter/article_c89901a8-91c9-11ec-bb30-37611391f70d.html

Howard Jansen III Other News

Howard Jansen, III will be sentenced March 25 for the death of his 3-year-old daughter Olivia, after pleading guilty to multiple charges.

Jansen III pleaded guilty on Feb. 11 to second-degree murder, child abuse and several other charges.

Police found the body of his daughter, Olivia Jansen, in July 2020 in a wooded area in Kansas City, Kansas, hours after Jansen reported her missing.

Jansen told police that he woke up at 5:30 a.m. and found she was gone from the home in the 4400 block of Gibbs in Kansas City, Kansas.

After a day-long search involving multiple agencies, drones and K9s, police said they got a tip that led them to a walking trail in the area of 34th and Steele Road in Kansas City, Kansas.

An autopsy found she had signs of physical abuse and had died of a brain bleed.

Jansen’s girlfriend, Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick, was sentenced in December to 31 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in Olivia’s death.

https://www.kmbc.com/article/father-pleads-guilty-death-of-olivia-jansen/39147774#

Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick kansas — Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick

A woman who pleaded guilty for the death of Olivia Jansen learned her fate inside an emotional courtroom Monday afternoon.

Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick was sentenced to 376 months, a little more than 31 years, with credit for time served.

Three-year-old Olivia Jansen’s death devastated her family and had a lasting impact on her Kansas City community. A large memorial honors the three-year-old near 34 Street and Steele Road. Photos of Olivia, yellow balloons, ribbons, crosses, angels and teddy bears line the side of the street.

Two days after the sentencing on December 22nd Olivia Jansen would have turned five years old. The bubbly little girl never celebrated another birthday or started kindergarten. Her family says Olivia will forever be three years old.

“She was three years old. She was full of hope,” Preston Carter said Monday as he visited Olivia’s memorial. “All she wanted was to live her life. She was loved.”

Several relatives spoke and read letters during the sentencing hearing describing Kirkpatrick as a “selfish, cold-hearted, remorseless monster” capable of killing a happy, trusting, and innocent child.

In November, Kirkpatrick pleaded guilty to 2nd-degree murder, abuse of a child and two counts of interference with law enforcement. According to prosecutors, Olivia was forced to be inside of a dog cage during her abuse. Relatives told Kirkpatrick they hope Olivia’s face haunts her while she is in a cage of her own inside a prison cell.

Several family members said in their victim impact statements that they will remember Olivia and her life before she lived with her father, Howard Jansen III and Kirkpatrick. Relatives also told the court they believe the Kansas Department for Children and Families and the justice system failed Olivia. Relatives reported concerns about neglect and abuse before Olivia’s death. They believe she should still be alive today smiling, playing, and preparing for her first day of kindergarten.

Kirkpatrick will receive credit for 528 days for time served in jail. Howard Jansen III, who is charged with first degree-murder for Olivia’s death, is awaiting trial. Kirkpatrick has agreed to testify in that trial if she is called to the witness stand

https://www.wibw.com/2021/12/21/jacqulyn-kirkpatrick-sentenced-more-than-30-years-death-olivia-jansen/