Adoptive Parents Knew 6-Year-Old Girl Was Buried in Kansas Backyard for Years

A Kansas man has received a sentence of 60 days in jail and four years of probation following his conviction in connection with the death of his 6-year-old adopted daughter. Authorities reported that his wife, Crystina Schroer, killed the child and buried her remains in their backyard.

Joseph Schroer maintained that he was unaware of the murder, yet prosecutors stated that he continued to collect Medicaid payments despite knowing the child was no longer living in the home and participated in the abuse of other children in the household.

The sentencing occurred after Schroer entered a no-contest plea to two counts of aggravated child endangerment and one count of Medicaid fraud related to permitting his wifes abuse. Crystina Schroer previously pleaded no contest to charges including second-degree murder, child abuse, forgery, and theft, and she is serving a 17-year prison term.

The remains of the girl, originally named Natalie Garcia and later renamed Kennedy Schroer after adoption in 2019, were discovered in the familys backyard in September 2024. She had gone missing in 2020, but authorities were only alerted to the situation when Crystina threatened self-harm. An autopsy confirmed the child likely died of suffocation, ruling the death a homicide.

Initially, Crystina misled authorities, claiming another child was responsible. However, a sibling revealed that in 2020, Crystina confined Kennedy in a small box at night, piling blankets and a crib on top of her when she moved. The sibling stated that the childs body eventually fell from the box, revealing her death, after which Crystina buried her in trash bags just outside the master bedroom, where the family continued to live for four years.

Investigators learned that Crystina systematically abused Kennedy and other children in the home, including starving them, torturing them, and installing cameras to monitor them constantly. Prosecutors described her treatment of the children as motivated by financial gain from Medicaid.

Joseph Schroers conviction was based on evidence that he aided in the ongoing abuse of the other children while knowingly receiving Medicaid funds for the deceased child.

Authorities urge anyone suspecting child abuse to contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453), available 24/7 in over 170 languages. Calls are confidential and toll-free.

Author: Harper Simmons