Parents of child who died in Independence home released as investigation continues: police
The parents of a child who died in Independence earlier this week have been released pending further investigation, as police continue to probe the youth’s death, a police spokeswoman said Friday.
Police have said little about the fatality, only that first responders were called to the area of 32nd Street and Crysler Avenue around 8 p.m. Wednesday, and that police were investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a 7-year-old child.
Police could be seen working at a home there Thursday, and Officer Kelley Rupert, a spokeswoman for the Independence Police Department, said Friday the investigation was still active.
Police have not said how the child died, and Rupert said Friday she could not answer questions from The Star about the circumstances of the child’s death.
The address where investigators have been seen working is classified by police as a “disorderly residence” with a history of stolen vehicles and interference with police, Rupert said.
The state’s sex offender database shows that a 38-year-old man registered as a compliant level 3 offender is registered at the home. The database indicates the man was convicted in 2008 on a sexual misconduct charge for a case in Independence involving a victim under the age of 18.
Efforts by The Star to speak with a relative of the child Friday were unsuccessful.
The child was a student in the Independence School District, and the district was providing additional resources for staff and students after the death, said Mady Grant, an ISD spokeswoman.
This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 5:48 PM.
