Kansas Mother Sentenced After 6-Year-Old Daughter Found Buried in Backyard Box

A Kansas woman has been sentenced to nearly 18 years behind bars after investigators uncovered the horrifying death of her 6-year-old daughter, whose body was found buried in the family’s backyard years after she vanished.

Crystina Schroer was sentenced Monday after pleading no contest to charges including second-degree murder, child abuse, making false information, and welfare fraud. Her plea means she did not admit guilt but also did not dispute the allegations against her.

Authorities say the remains of 6-year-old Kennedy Schroer were discovered inside a trash bag buried behind the family’s home in September 2024 — roughly four years after her death. A forensic report from the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center determined Kennedy died by probable suffocation and ruled the death a homicide.

Investigators believe Kennedy died after being confined in a small box as punishment. Prosecutors said Crystina forced the child into the box overnight, where she suffocated. One of Kennedy’s siblings told authorities that this was not an isolated incident — being locked in the box was allegedly used as a form of discipline when the children misbehaved or moved during the night.

At the time of the discovery, both Crystina and her husband, Joseph Schroer, were arrested and charged with multiple crimes. Joseph later entered his own plea of no contest to two counts of child endangerment; his sentencing is scheduled for December 3.

According to court documents, Crystina told family members and others that the state had taken Kennedy away due to behavioral problems, concealing the truth about what happened for years. The case broke open only after police responded to the Schroer home for a reported suicide attempt by Crystina. During that call, she allegedly told officers, “My life is over. No one will look at me the same.”

Authorities later uncovered Kennedy’s remains buried on the property.

Butler County Attorney Darrin Devinney said Schroer’s other children — three biological and two adopted — were removed from the home and are now in state custody receiving support and counseling.

“They’re receiving everything possible to help them recover from the trauma of what they went through,” Devinney said. “We want them to be safe, stable, and given the chance to live productive lives.”

Members of Kennedy’s biological family attended the sentencing, expressing heartbreak but relief that some justice had been served.

This report was compiled using information gathered from law enforcement statements, official press releases, and publicly available news sources.

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