SEDGWICK COUNTY —Authorities on Friday reported they positively identified the human remains found on September 11 in the yard of a home in the city of Rose Hill as Kennedy Jean Schroer, according to Rose Hill Police Chief Taylor Parlier.
"We understand that many in the public might be confused how an arrest in this case has not been made, that is completely understandable, Parlier stated in a media release.
"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."
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.
The 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," Parlier stated.
"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."