Two people are behind bars in connection with 3-year-old Olivia Jansen, the centerpiece of a Kansas AMBER Alert who was found deceased on Friday evening.
According to Wyandotte County jail records, Olivia’s father, Howard Jansen III, was arrested on Friday night and charged with suspicion of first-degree murder and child abuse. On Saturday, police arrested his girlfriend, Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick. She’s also been charged with suspicion of first-degree murder and child abuse.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, instead of calling 911, Jansen walked to a police department on Friday morning at around 8:30 a.m. to report his daughter missing. He said she was last seen at their home off of Gibbs Road in Kansas City.
Jansen reportedly claimed that he woke up at 5:30 a.m. and found a door open in the home. He said Olivia had disappeared.
Kansas City PD spokesperson Tom Tomasic said on Friday that authorities heard “several stories throughout the day” but “none of them made sense.”
Tips eventually led searchers to a wooded walking trail near 34th Street and Steele Road. At around 5:45 p.m. Friday, police found the little girl’s body on the trail, around nine blocks from her home.
It’s unclear how long Olivia has been deceased and the cause of death is still pending. Tomasic could not comment on whether authorities found trauma on the child’s body.
On Saturday, the community gathered to mourn the loss of Olivia, who was described as a bright and caring little girl.
“A loving child, and very, very, very smart. She was a very smart 3-year-old,” Olivia’s grandmother, Vickie Saindon, said.
Olivia’s biological mother, who’s currently incarcerated, watched the vigil via video, according to Fox 4.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Olivia Jansen/Handout]
