BUTLER COUNTY —Police on Monday arrested the adoptive parents of a child whose remains were found in the back yard of a home in Rose Hill.
Crystina Elizabeth Schroer, 50, Rose Hill is in custody on requested charges of Murder in the 1st degree, Kidnapping, aggravated , Child abuse, torture (x4), Theft, felony (value under $25,000), Forgery (x4), Medicaid fraud and Desecration of a corpse.
Joseph Shane Schroer, 53, Rose Hill is being held on requested charges that include, Child abuse, torture (x4), Liability for crimes of another , Interference with Law Enforcement, Theft, felony (value under $25,000) and Medicaid fraud
Just before 7:30p.m. September 10, a call was made to Butler County Emergency Communications 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, according to Police Chief Taylor Parlier.
In the early morning hours of September 11, police 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, officers 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 12. On September 27, 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 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.
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 Rose Hill PD 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."
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SEDGWICK COUNTY —Authorities have positively identified the human remains found on September 11 in the yard of a home in the city of Rose Hill.
Kennedy Jean Schroer, born on July 14, 2014, was adopted by Crystina and Joe Schroer in November 2018 and is believed to have died in late 2020, according to a statement from Rose Hill, Kansas Police Chief Taylor Parlier.
Her remains were brought to the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center for the postmortem. Due to the advanced level of decomposition, the medical examiner was unable to identify a cause of death. Their preliminary report gave findings that no visible injuries were observed, nor were any healing or healed injuries observable, according to the police chief.
"Through our investigation we believe the time of death occurred within the month of November 2020. The medical examiner has not released the full report of the postmortem but has confirmed Kennedy’s identity through DNA analysis."
"We understand that many in the public might be confused how an arrest in this case has not been made, that is completely understandable. What we would like to convey is that we have one chance to gather as much information as possible, to find out what happened to this child and to tell her story. While we understand the desire to hold persons accountable, we need to get this correct and not fast. Releasing too much information might appear to implicate a person or persons who were not involved, so in our search for the truth we need to equally work to protect peoples’ rights."
"This investigation is ongoing. Officers, Detectives, surrounding law enforcement agencies, social workers, mental health professionals, and many others are hard at work to find answers. What we can assure anyone interested in this case, Kennedy is the center of our universe and will remain so until we have answers."