Adoptive parents arrested for murder, torture in death of 6-year-old girl of Kansas
ROSE HILL, Kan. -- The adoptive parents of a 6-year-old girl found buried in a Rose Hill backyard last summer have been arrested for murder, child abuse and torture.
On September 11, 2024, law enforcement dug up the back yard of a home in a residential neighborhood. There, they found the remains of a small child.
Rose Hill police Chief Taylor Parlier said that his detectives discovered the remains after a person in distress call at the home.
"While dealing with that individual and the circumstances surrounding that person's crisis, information was gathered up, which indicated that there might be human remains in the backyard of this residence," Parlier said. "The search warrant was secured on the morning of the 11th, and we started digging in the afternoon, and located the body."
The child was identified as Kennedy Jean Schroer, also called Natalie. She was born in July 2014 and is believed to have died in late 2020.
Kennedy/Natalie was adopted by Crystina and Joe Schroer in 2019. A previous release mistakenly said she was adopted in 2018. The biological mother's rights were removed in 2018.
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," RHPD said in a statement. "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."
On Monday, 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 The department added that Natalie "has always been the focus of this investigation, and we believe we can now tell her story accurately."
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