Independence teenager is charged with the murder of 6-week-old child

A 17-year-old from Independence has been charged with murder in the death of a 6-week-old baby last week.

Jackson County prosecutors accused Whitley R. Evenson of killing the child by putting her hand over the child’s mouth until it suffocated. She was charged with second-degree murder.

Police responded to a report of an infant not breathing at a home in the 1300 block of Short Avenue last Wednesday, according to court records. They found the child unresponsive on a dining room table. Evenson told officers she had fed the child and changed its diapers a few hours earlier.

Later, Evenson told detectives that she had placed her hand over the child’s mouth until it died.

Prosecutors requested a bond of $100,000.

Ian Cummings, icummings@kcstar.com

This story was originally published September 22, 2015 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Independence teenager is charged with the murder of 6-week-old child."