Grisly details in killing of 6-year-old at Kansas City home revealed in police search warrant
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Child’s tragic death
Jackson County prosecutors have charged 35-year-old Tasha L. Haefs in the death of her 6-year-old son, who Kansas City police found decapitated in a residence late at night on Feb. 15. The details of the child’s homicide are grisly.
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Update: Prosecutors have charged the woman with first-degree murder in the death of the 6-year-old boy, who was identified as her son.
A 35-year-old Kansas City woman was taken into custody after police were called to a residence late Tuesday night and found a decapitated 6-year-old boy, court records show.
Officers responded around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday to the 7300 block of Indiana Avenue after receiving a call from a woman who was concerned “the devil was trying to attack her,” a Kansas City police detective wrote in a probable cause statement for a search warrant. The caller denied that she was mentally ill and hung up the phone.
Officers saw what appeared to be blood leading up from the sidewalk to the front door when they arrived. They could hear a woman singing from inside the residence. As they knocked on the door, she sang even louder.
Police were aware that three children were associated with the residence, the court record says. From outside, they were able to see a severed head.
Officers forced their way into the home based on the belief that the children and woman inside were in danger. Inside, they found a woman in the kitchen. She had blood on her hands and feet, court records state.
Outside the kitchen officers saw the severed head of a small child, near the rest of his body. A decapitated dog was discovered in the basement.
After the woman was taken into custody, police said several lacerations and scratches were found on her hands. She also had a puncture wound to her right thigh.
The search warrant requested by police sought the collection of DNA evidence from the woman to compare with other evidence discovered at the crime scene. It was signed by a Jackson County judge and executed Wednesday morning.
Also Wednesday, police said the homicide case would be submitted to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office for a review of criminal charges. The woman remained in police custody Wednesday afternoon.
Calls for justice
The boy, whose identity has not been disclosed by police, is Kansas City’s 19th homicide victim so far this year, according to data maintained by The Star. The killing drew reaction across Kansas City, including from Mayor Quinton Lucas.
“We don’t yet know why an elementary school aged child was killed this morning, but we understand the pain a family, school, and community are facing,” Lucas said in a tweet Wednesday morning. “May we see that the assailants are swiftly brought to justice and may we resolve to avoid more preventable tragedies like this.”
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker also called for unity to prevent future deaths, saying there are “no adequate words to address the harm a child suffered last night.”
Baker posted on social media: “We must rally together, support our kids who need us and show unity in the common goal of preventing future harms.”
The Star’s Aaron Torres and Sarah Ritter contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 3:26 PM.
