CEDAR SPRINGS, Mich. — Investigators say a Cedar Springs mother who is already charged in the death of one of her children is also responsible for the death of another child from more than four years ago.
WATCH: Sheriff & Prosecutor's Office say Cedar Springs mom is responsible for another child's death
Irene Whitehead currently faces charges of open murder and first-degree child abuse for the death of 2-year-old Ryleigh on September 3, 2025. She admitted to detectives that she killed Ryleigh by suffocating the little girl.
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Since being arraigned, Whitehead's troubled history with her children has come under more scrutiny. The Kent County Sheriff's Office last month asked for information on her son's death in 2021. 2-month-old Leo's cause of death was ruled as natural causes, but Sheriff Michele LaJoye-Young said she believes detectives can establish that Irene also killed her son.
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During Tuesday's press conference, Elizabeth Bartlett from the Kent County Prosecutor's Office announced Whitehead will face charges of open murder and first-degree child abuse in Leo's death. The 27-year-old mother also faces an additional second-degree child abuse charge stemming from alleged abuse of another daughter who is currently six years old.
Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young said Whitehead had one additional child who does not have any criminal charges tied to them. The sheriff told reporters that detectives did not find any evidence of abuse aimed at that child.
Whitehead remains in custody on a $5 million bond. If convicted on the murder charges, she would spend the rest of her life in prison.
She is scheduled to be arraigned on the newly announced charges on Wednesday, January 14. A preliminary exam hearing tied to Ryleigh's death remains on the calendar for February 9.
WATCH STORY HERE
