A mother from Michigan has been arrested and charged with murder after police say she confessed to suffocating her two-year-old daughter, having previously claimed the child suffered from a rare virus.
A History of Fabricated Illness
Irene Whitehead, aged 27, was taken into custody by the Kent County Sheriff's Office on November 12. She faces a first-degree murder charge for the death of her daughter, Ryleigh Whitehead, who died on September 3.
Officers were called to Whitehead's home in Cedar Springs on the day of the death, finding the child unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene, with her mother being the only adult present.
Prior to this, Whitehead had publicly claimed her daughter was battling a rare illness. In 2023, she appeared on local news outlet WZZM13, stating Ryleigh had parainfluenza-4, a virus causing respiratory issues. She also said her infant son, Leonard, had died from the same virus two years earlier.
Confession and Chilling Online Search
According to court documents, Whitehead confessed to detectives on November 25. In a signed statement, she admitted: "I killed them," referring to both Ryleigh and Leonard.
She detailed repeatedly suffocating Ryleigh with a bag, alleging the stress of motherhood led her to want the child dead. "Right after she was born," she told detectives when asked when she decided to kill her daughter.
Investigators discovered that less than a week after Ryleigh's death, Whitehead searched online: "how hard is it to prove if cause of death is suffocation by bag in toddler."
Ryleigh's cause of death was initially undetermined but was later updated to homicide following the confession. The medical examiner noted suffocation could not be ruled out.
Fundraiser and Family Dynamics
On the day Ryleigh died, Whitehead created a GoFundMe page with a $5,000 goal for funeral expenses. The page, since removed, described the child's long history of breathing problems.
The investigation revealed a troubled family dynamic. Police uncovered a Facebook conversation where Whitehead told her mother she wished she only had one child. A video from weeks before Ryleigh's death captured another child saying to Whitehead: "You never even wanted me, you only want me to die... Just kill me already."
Whitehead had four children in total. The fathers of her two surviving children have gained custody. She has not been charged in her son Leonard's death, but prosecutors say it remains possible.
During a bond hearing, Judge Kirsten Holz stated the proof of guilt was evident and the allegations "horrific." Whitehead, who has no prior criminal record, requested a court-appointed lawyer. She is being held without bond in Kent County Jail and faces a probable cause conference on December 10. If convicted of first-degree murder, she will receive a mandatory life sentence without parole.
