Identified! KS – Unidentified Child Remains found buried in backyard in Rose Hill, Sept. 11, 2024 *Kennedy Jean Schroer, 6*

***MEDIA RELEASE*** 02-03-2025
Kennedy Schroer/Natalie Garcia-Homicide Investigation

On February 3, 2025, two arrests were made as the result of this investigation, the adoptive parents of the decedent were taken into custody for the following offenses:

Crystina Elizabeth Schroer, a 50-year-old female from Rose Hill
- Murder in the 1st degree
- Kidnapping, aggravated
- Child abuse, torture (x4)
- Theft, felony (value under $25,000)
- Forgery (x4)
- Medicaid fraud
- Desecration of a corpse

Joseph Shane Schroer, a 53-year-old male from Rose Hill
- Child abuse, torture (x4)
- Liability for crimes of another
- Interference with Law Enforcement
- Theft, felony (value under $25,000)
- Medicaid fraud

On September 10, 2024, at approximately 7:29pm a call was made to Butler County Emergency Communications (dispatch) which began an investigation lasting several months. During this initial contact Officers discovered the possibility of human remains having been buried in the backyard of 1406 North Meeker Court, Rose Hill, Kansas.

In the early morning hours of September 11th, Officers with the Rose Hill Police Department (RHPD) secured a search warrant for the property of this residence, and with the assistance of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office began a search. The ground was overgrown in the search area, so cadaver dogs acquired through Sedgwick County Emergency Management were deployed, with no positive indications we brought in a brush hog and knocked down the vegetation. Another deployment of the canines was completed with interest being shown to different areas in the backyard, still with no positive indication. A forensic dig began at one of the locations of interest and hours later, approximately 23 inches deep, the decomposed remains of a human child were found in a trash bag. A postmortem was completed at the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center on September 12th. On September 27th DNA testing was completed and confirmed the identity of the decedent as Kennedy Schroer (adopted name)/Natalie Garcia (birth name).

As the investigation began, six detectives with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the dig, neighborhood canvasing, initial interviews, and organizing information as it came in. Andover Police Department detectives assisted as well with initial interviews of people with knowledge of this house but not living in the immediate area. As we progressed, other agencies were brought in to assist, such as the Butler County Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI, Wichita Satellite Office), FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU, Quantico), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Kansas Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Division, Department of Children and Families (DCF) investigation division, Exploited and Missing Children’s Unit (EMCU), and Civilian experts in the fields of trauma and abuse.

On November 20, 2024, personnel with the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center completed their postmortem report. Their report found Kennedy/Natalie’s cause of death was probable suffocation, and her manner of death was homicide. Sometimes investigations are complex and require patience, particularly in light of the severity of the suspected crimes. We shared in that sense of urgency. We know that there has been a strong desire in our community for answers, but the specific needs of our investigation would not permit us to provide them in detail before now. Please know that we conducted this investigation with the time, attention and seriousness that it required. We assessed that there was not an ongoing risk to public safety during the investigation and that making arrests only after the investigation concluded was the necessary course of action to ensure the best possible outcome.

During the last five months, Detective Missy Tharp and members of the (RHPD) put in over 2,000 hours into this investigation. With assisting agencies putting in several hundred additional hours. This case was built through the development of timelines spanning more than four years, which is the primary reason for the length of the investigation. Natalie has always been the focus of this investigation, and we believe we can now tell her story accurately.

All people arrested and charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

So there it is, homicide, buried in a trash bag.

No dignity, nothing excusable.

MOO
 
As the investigation progressed, other agencies were brought in to assist, such as the Butler County Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI, Wichita Satellite Office), FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU, Quantico), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Kansas Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Division, Department of Children and Families (DCF) investigation division, Exploited and Missing Children’s Unit (EMCU), and Civilian experts in the fields of trauma and abuse.
[snip]
"Natalie has always been the focus of this investigation, and we believe we can now tell her story accurately."
Kan. couple arrested after child's remains found in back yard of home

“Please know that we conducted this investigation with the time, attention and seriousness that it required,” said the agency. “We assessed that there was not an ongoing risk to public safety during the investigation and that making arrests only after the investigation concluded was the necessary course of action to ensure the best possible outcome.”
Adoptive parents arrested in Rose Hill for murdering 6-year-old girl - Butler County Times-Gazette

“With assisting agencies putting in several hundred additional hours. This case was built through the development of timelines spanning more than four years, which is the primary reason for the length of the investigation."
Adoptive parents arrested for murder, child abuse after girl’s remains found in Rose Hill backyard

May these "parents" rot. I hope they face both state AND federal charges like Casey and Sandy Parsons did. Make them serve time for the abuse, the murder, AND the Medicaid fraud.

How did they get away with it for so long? No school, no Dr. appointments, a child suddenly is no longer in the household and nobody on the outside notices? Or did they? and the couple made excuses about where the child had gone.

I cannot help but think of Natalie's siblings, mentioned in the article below as also having been adopted by the Schroers. I think of them quite a bit, hoping they are okay and safe now, imagining what it must have been like for them, in that home, where a child can simply be murdered and buried in the back yard, never to be spoken of again.
:( :( My heart hurts for them.

Last week, KSN spoke to Christa Helm, who claimed to be Kennedy’s biological mother. She said a Rose Hill family had adopted three of her children.
‘I want justice for her’: Biological parent of child found in Rose Hill speak out
 
“How does nobody know this child is missing?” Helm told KSN. “Why was (Kansas Department for Children and Families) not checking up on her?”

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.
 
I am glad to see movement on this case & am also glad to see LE's press release using Natalie's birth name, not her adopted name.

I hope we eventually find out more details about the call that initiated this investigation. Who called? And why?
 
earlier stories mentinoed someone having a amental health crisis. We all speculated at the time it may have been one of the kids, a teen perhaps. This article earlier today specified an adult apparently was the one having some sort of crisis.

On Sep. 10, 2024, Rose Hill police responded to a call of a barricaded adult threatening to harm themselves in the 1400 block of North Meeker Court. The next day, authorities dug roughly 2 feet in the backyard and unearthed the decomposed remains of a child inside a trash bag.

Read more at: https://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article299669324.html#storylink=cpy
 
I am glad these charges were leveled. I was very worried that the Schroers would come up with some cockamamie excuse about her dying by some accident and covering up her death to avoid losing the other kids or something. We have seen this too many times before. A child is killed or neglected to death and the parents have all these excuses years later when the body is found and COD is hard to determine.

I still cannot stop thinking about Natalie's siblings and what was life like in that household their sister died in. Did they play in that backyard these past four years? I hope they are being loved and cared for with all the resources needed to process this situation. I want to know how they were treated before this discovery? Where they abused? What happened in that house? Who was the adult who finally divulged to LE that Natalie was buried in the backyard?
 
Some of the abuse charges against CS are from 2023, 3 years after the death of Natalie/Kennedy. It’s clear she did not change her behavior even after her abuse caused the death of this sweet girl.
TY for linking the charging document

ETA things I note from the criminal complaint:

count Six: Crystina is accused of defrauding Kansas Dept of Child and Families. Which would seem to indicate that at the very least the family was still in some way or another associated with DCF, even if it was only to receive benefits. Kansas State Adoption Assistance Program - Families Rising.

count Seven: Crystina is accused of similarly defrauding Medicaid. Guessing this was for food stamps or cash assistance for the household.

Interestingly enough, one of the many "endorsed Witnesses" on the last page of this complaint is Joseph Shane Schroer. Was he the adult barricaded in a room having a mental health issue? Did Natalie have any special needs? That would probably increase any stipend the family was receiving meant to benefit her.
 
Last edited:
TY for linking the charging document

ETA things I note from the criminal complaint:

count Six: Crystina is accused of defrauding Kansas Dept of Child and Families. Which would seem to indicate that at the very least the family was still in some way or another associated with DCF, even if it was only to receive benefits. Kansas State Adoption Assistance Program - Families Rising.

count Seven: Crystina is accused of similarly defrauding Medicaid. Guessing this was for food stamps or cash assistance for the household.

Interestingly enough, one of the many "endorsed Witnesses" on the last page of this complaint is Joseph Shane Schroer. Was he the adult barricaded in a room having a mental health issue? Did Natalie have any special needs? That would probably increase any stipend the family was receiving meant to benefit her.
In Kansas, sibling sets automatically receive the highest stipend. But she may have also qualified for ssi or other benefits.
 
imo:
It's got to be a very difficult task for the state to find adults who want to adopt 3 siblings which may be why Christa Helms,Natalie's mother, repeated reference to the adoption being "rushed" .
What she means by rushed remains to be explained.
It's very concerning and could be very problematic for the state in light that the adoptive mother has been arrested for 1st degree murder.
In addition to all the other charges against her and the adoptive father.

"Helm said the adoption was rushed, but she said she believed the state when they said her girls would be safe in the Schroer home."















 
Is it just me, or does it look as though special needs were in play here? Given her biological mother's reported problems with drugs etc that might not be unexpected. If so, maybe the three kids came as a package and she was less wanted than the others.
Natalie's chubby cheeks squint her eyes when she smiles.
If she had any learning disabilities I haven't heard anything plus I don't think the school was authorized to disclose any personal info like that within their statement.
Not that they would want to.
 
I'm curious when CH was in jail and for how long?

We're the children in foster care before the Schroers?

She said that she did relinquish custody of her 3 girls .
Was a pressure campaign put on CH by CPS?

Did the CPS threaten CH that they would take her to court if she didn't relinquish custody all the while knowing that the Schroer's would adopt all 3 girls?

What mental and emotional state was CH in when she gave her girls to the Schroers?
Was she on her way to jail/prison?








 
The article says, according to Helm, the children were taken from her in 2017. Said she struggled when her kids were younger, spent time in jail and dealt with substance use.

In late 2018 she relinquished custody of 3 of her daughters

Adoption was finalized in 2019.

Is 2017-2019 quick? How long are kids generally in limbo or being bounced around?
 
The article says, according to Helm, the children were taken from her in 2017. Said she struggled when her kids were younger, spent time in jail and dealt with substance use.

In late 2018 she relinquished custody of 3 of her daughters

Adoption was finalized in 2019.

Is 2017-2019 quick? How long are kids generally in limbo or being bounced around?
Thanks, that clears up a few of my questions.
I'm curious how long the 3 girls were with the Schroes before it was decided they could adopt them?
 
I find it interesting that Joseph Schroer wasn't charged with any degree in NMG's death.
***MEDIA RELEASE*** 02-03-2025
Kennedy Schroer/Natalie Garcia-Homicide Investigation

On February 3, 2025, two arrests were made as the result of this investigation, the adoptive parents of the decedent were taken into custody for the following offenses:

Crystina Elizabeth Schroer, a 50-year-old female from Rose Hill
- Murder in the 1st degree
- Kidnapping, aggravated
- Child abuse, torture (x4)
- Theft, felony (value under $25,000)
- Forgery (x4)
- Medicaid fraud
- Desecration of a corpse

Joseph Shane Schroer, a 53-year-old male from Rose Hill
- Child abuse, torture (x4)
- Liability for crimes of another
- Interference with Law Enforcement
- Theft, felony (value under $25,000)
- Medicaid fraud

On September 10, 2024, at approximately 7:29pm a call was made to Butler County Emergency Communications (dispatch) which began an investigation lasting several months. During this initial contact Officers discovered the possibility of human remains having been buried in the backyard of 1406 North Meeker Court, Rose Hill, Kansas.

In the early morning hours of September 11th, Officers with the Rose Hill Police Department (RHPD) secured a search warrant for the property of this residence, and with the assistance of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office began a search. The ground was overgrown in the search area, so cadaver dogs acquired through Sedgwick County Emergency Management were deployed, with no positive indications we brought in a brush hog and knocked down the vegetation. Another deployment of the canines was completed with interest being shown to different areas in the backyard, still with no positive indication. A forensic dig began at one of the locations of interest and hours later, approximately 23 inches deep, the decomposed remains of a human child were found in a trash bag. A postmortem was completed at the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center on September 12th. On September 27th DNA testing was completed and confirmed the identity of the decedent as Kennedy Schroer (adopted name)/Natalie Garcia (birth name).

As the investigation began, six detectives with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the dig, neighborhood canvasing, initial interviews, and organizing information as it came in. Andover Police Department detectives assisted as well with initial interviews of people with knowledge of this house but not living in the immediate area. As we progressed, other agencies were brought in to assist, such as the Butler County Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI, Wichita Satellite Office), FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU, Quantico), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Kansas Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Division, Department of Children and Families (DCF) investigation division, Exploited and Missing Children’s Unit (EMCU), and Civilian experts in the fields of trauma and abuse.

On November 20, 2024, personnel with the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center completed their postmortem report. Their report found Kennedy/Natalie’s cause of death was probable suffocation, and her manner of death was homicide. Sometimes investigations are complex and require patience, particularly in light of the severity of the suspected crimes. We shared in that sense of urgency. We know that there has been a strong desire in our community for answers, but the specific needs of our investigation would not permit us to provide them in detail before now. Please know that we conducted this investigation with the time, attention and seriousness that it required. We assessed that there was not an ongoing risk to public safety during the investigation and that making arrests only after the investigation concluded was the necessary course of action to ensure the best possible outcome.

During the last five months, Detective Missy Tharp and members of the (RHPD) put in over 2,000 hours into this investigation. With assisting agencies putting in several hundred additional hours. This case was built through the development of timelines spanning more than four years, which is the primary reason for the length of the investigation. Natalie has always been the focus of this investigation, and we believe we can now tell her story accurately.

All people arrested and charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Mug shots from LE if interested .
JSS then click right arrow for CES

 

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