Kansas dad pleads guilty to killing 3-year-old daughter whose body was found in the woods

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (TCD) -- A 30-year-old man pleaded guilty this month to killing his missing daughter whose body was later found in a wooded area with signs of abuse.

According to the KSHB-TV, Howard Jansen III entered the plea on Feb. 11 to charges of 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. Jansen’s girlfriend Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick was sentenced to 31 years in prison in December after pleading guilty to second-degree murder, abuse of a child under the age of 6, and two counts of interference with law enforcement.

Jansen and Kirkpatrick were initially charged with first-degree murder, criminal desecration, and aggravated child endangerment, the Kansas City Kansas Police Department said in 2020.

Jansen reported his daughter Olivia missing on July 10, 2020, and an Amber Alert went into effect. According to the Kansas City Kansas Police Department, she was last seen that day at her home on the 4400 block of Gibbs. Officers found her body hours later in a "wooded area" on the 3400 block of Steele.

The Kansas City Star reports Olivia’s autopsy showed signs of abuse and determined she died from a brain bleed. Olivia also reportedly had a small cut on the back of her head.

Jansen’s sentencing is scheduled for March 25.

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