A heartbreaking and disturbing case out of Rose Hill, Kansas, has gained national attention after a judge handed down a nearly 18‑year prison sentence to a mother in connection with the death of her 6‑year‑old adopted daughter. Crystina Schroer, 46, was sentenced to 215 months in prison in a Butler County courtroom after pleading no contest to multiple charges linked to the child’s death, including second‑degree murder, child abuse, making false information and welfare fraud.
Born Natalie Marie Garcia in July 2014, this little lady, at the center of this tragedy, was adopted in November of 2018 by Crystina and her husband, Joseph Schroer, after her biological parents relinquished parental rights, naming her Kennedy Jean Schroer.
In September 2024, responding to concerns at the Schroer home, law enforcement made a shocking discovery when they located Natalie’s remains buried in the backyard of the family’s property. The child’s decomposed body was discovered wrapped up in a black plastic bag and buried about two feet below the surface.
It took months of investigation to piece together what had happened; eventually, detectives concluded that Natalie most likely died in November 2020 as a result of being confined in a small box as punishment for moving during the night. The prosecutors made it known that such abuse was ongoing, serious, and very distressing.
Court records show that Crystina Schroer told police she found Natalie, who had been placed inside the box by Schroer, unresponsive, and attempted to perform CPR on her-even placing the child under a cold shower, desperately hoping to get the girl breathing again. But when she determined the girl was dead, prosecutors say she did not take her to a hospital. She continued to drive around with the body for several hours until she buried her in the backyard.
Over the next several years after Natalie’s death, Crystina told friends and family that the girl was institutionalized inside a mental hospital, concealing the truth and providing fake explanations for her absence. Meanwhile, it wasn’t until 2024, after an unrelated welfare check had been performed and the ensuing investigation unraveled the gruesome facts, that authorities learned of the disappearance.
Family and loved ones of Natalie, who included her biological mother, sister, and grandmother, remembered the child at sentencing as a bright, joyous little girl with an “infectious smile” whom they loved very much. Prosecutors emphasized that Natalie’s death was preventable, and her brief life was filled with cruelty at the hands of the one who was supposed to take care of her.
