Michigan – A Michigan woman was formally charged last week with additional counts of open murder and first-degree chiId abuse in connection with the death of her lnfant several years after his passing. Prosecutors announced the new charges against the parent, 27-year-old lrene, last week. The DA’s office allege the woman deliberately kiIIed her 2-month-old baby Lenard in 2021, reversing the original finding that his death was due to natural causes. The woman was already facing charges in the death of her 2-year-old chiId, RyIeigh, who died in Sept. last year.

The woman had previously been indicted in Nov. last year on one count each of open murder and first-degree chiId abuse for the death of the 2-year-old. The investigation process began in Sept. last year after Michigan authorities responded to a 911 call at the woman’s home after someone reported that the child was unresponsive and not breathing. First responders pronounced the victim dead at the scene. The parent was the only adult present in the home when officers arrived. Local law enforcement, including the Sheriff’s Office Investigative Unit and Michigan Child Protective Services, quickly opened an investigation into the circumstances of the child’s death.

In the months leading up to her arrest, the parent had publicly claimed that the child had been battling a rare and deadly form of parainfIuenza, a variant of the common respiratory virus. She spoke with media years ago about her child’s supposed struggles with this illness, even offering advice to other parents dealing with sick children. At the time, she also referenced the prior death of her 2-month-old baby, saying she was shocked by his sudden passing from the same virus when he was an infant.

After the 2-year-old’s death, investigators obtained court documents and interviewed the parent. During a second interview with police in Nov. last year, she reportedly confessed to kiIIing the 2-year-old by suffocating her with a bag. According to the affidavit, when asked why she placed the bag over her child’s mouth, she told Michigan authorities she wanted her 2-year-old “wouldn’t be here anymore” and that “she’d die.” Investigators allege she suffocated the toddler multiple times.

In that same interview, the parent also allegedly admitted to kiIIing her baby, who died in 2021 at two months old. The baby’s death had originally been ruled as resulting from a “parainfIuenza viral-type pneumonia,” and was considered natural. In the interview, the parent reportedly acknowledged that diagnosis was untrue. Prosecutors later amended their view of the baby’s death after reopening the case and receiving numerous tips from the public. Michigan authorities held a news conference when announcing the new charges last week, noting the unusual and disturbing details uncovered during the investigation.

During questioning, detectives pressed the parent about her motives. At one point, when asked why she brought the 2-year-old to the hospital repeatedly, an affidavit quotes a detective: “Was that because you were doing that to make her look sick so later on you could kiII her?” Whitehead allegedly responded, “I wanted to kiII her.” When asked when she made the decision to kiII the child, she allegedly said, “Right after she was born.”

Investigators also found other evidence they say supports their theory. Less than a week after the child’s death, the mother reportedly conducted an internet search for “how hard is it to prove if cause of death is suffocation by bag in toddIer.” Video evidence recovered from her home showed one of her older children telling her, “you never even wanted me, you only want me to die. I know you want me to die,” and another child saying, “just kill me already,” according to court documents.

The medical examiner who conducted the child’s autopsy initially could not determine the precise cause of death, but noted that asphyxia could “not be excluded.” In light of the woman’s admissions and supporting evidence, authorities plan to update the child’s manner of death to homicide.

The parent is currently held in the county jail without bond. Her arraignment on the additional charges related to the baby’s death occurred in last week, and a preliminary examination on the charges stemming from the 2-year-old’s death is scheduled for early February 2026. Prosecutors have said they do not intend to offer the mother a plea deal and are seeking to hold her fully accountable for the deaths of both children.