Father of 3-year-old Olivia Jansen pleads guilty in child’s 2020 killing
Howard Jansen III, 30, the father of Olivia Jansen, pleaded guilty to killing the 3-year-old in July 2020.
Jansen III pleaded guilty on Feb. 11 to second-degree murder, three counts of aggravated endangerment of a child, one count of abuse of a child and one count of interference with law enforcement.
Late last year, Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick was sentenced in Wyandotte County District Court to a little more than 31 years in a Kansas prison for her role in the killing. Jansen III and Kirkpatrick were dating at the time.
The body of Olivia Jansen was discovered by authorities in a shallow grave after a brief and large-scale effort by local and federal law enforcement to find the child after her father reported her missing on July 10, 2020. He told police at the time that he had woken up around 6:30 a.m. that morning to find that his daughter was gone.
The child was found dead hours later in a wooded area in the 3400 block of Steele Road, roughly a mile away from her father’s home in Kansas City, Kansas. A medical examiner’s report later showed that she had signs of physical abuse, including a small cut on the back of her head, and died of a brain bleed.
Kirkpatrick and Howard Jansen were arrested shortly after the discovery.
Court records show the girl had signs of physical abuse, including a small cut on the back of her head, and died of a brain bleed.
The death also touched off criticisms of the Kansas Department of Children and Family Services after it came to light that other family of the girl had raised concerns with the agency shortly before she was killed.
The girl was visited by a caseworker over a video call 11 days before she was found dead. That investigation stemmed from a hotline report from someone worried that her caregiver was unavailable or unable to care for her and may be using drugs.
Howard Jansen III is scheduled to be sentenced on March 25 in Wyandotte County Court.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
