Death of 2-year-old girl from the Northland ruled a homicide, KC police say
The 2019 death of a 2-year-old girl from the Northland has been ruled a homicide, according to a Kansas City police spokesman.
The child, identified as Stevie L. Osborn, died Dec. 23, 2019 from injuries that police have not specified due to a pending investigation.
The final ruling on the case was completed nearly two months later on Feb. 20, when the child’s death was ruled a homicide, according to Sgt. Jacob Becchina, a Kansas City police spokesman.
The Star learned of the child’s death after a reporter contacted police to verify the number of homicides that occurred in Kansas City last year. The newspaper maintains data recording homicides in the metro area.
According to Becchina, police officers were called about 8:41 a.m. Dec. 23 to the Wild Oak Apartment Homes in the 7900 block of North Flintlock Road in regard to a medical emergency. Personnel found the child unresponsive inside the residence.
The girl was taken to a hospital, where she later died.
Police have identified a person of interest. No one has been arrested or charged as detectives continue to investigate.
Becchina said police were not yet saying how the child died because those details were “part of the ongoing investigation.”
“We are hopeful a case can be submitted soon for charges which will yield many more details,” he said.
An obituary described Stevie as a “cheerful princess and beloved daughter” who adored her stuffed animals and loved to sing along to songs from “Frozen” and “The Lion King.”
Reached by phone Saturday, Abigail Osborn said of her daughter Stevie was a “sweet and innocent” child “who was about as cute as they come.” She shared with the newspaper a September 2019 photo of the young girl holding onto a flower.
“I firmly believe that if the most miserable person in the world came in contact with her, she could bring them joy,” Osborn told The Star. “She was fun. We took road trips all the time. She was my best friend. She deserved a lot better than this.”
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 5:39 PM.
