Inset, left to right: Irene A. Whitehead (Kent County Jail) and Ryleigh Whitehead (GoFundMe). Background: The Kent County Jail in Michigan (Google Maps).
A 27-year-old mother in Michigan already accused of suffocating her 2-year-old daughter last year is now facing additional charges for allegedly killing her newborn son nearly five years ago.
Prosecutors on Tuesday announced that Irene Aiyana Whitehead was formally charged with new counts of open murder and first-degree child abuse for allegedly killing 2-month-old Leonard in 2021. The infant”s cause of death had initially been ruled as the result of natural causes, but the subsequent death of Whitehead’s 2-year-old daughter Ryleigh in September 2025 prompted investigators to reexamine the case.
Whitehead is already facing one count each of open murder and first-degree child abuse for allegedly killing Ryleigh, whom she claimed died of a rare and deadly virus.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Office and Kent County Prosecutor’s Office announced the new charges during a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
As Law&Crime previously reported, before Ryleigh’s death, Whitehead had made false public claims that her daughter died of parainfluenza.
The investigation into Ryleigh’s death began when authorities on Sept. 3, 2025, responded to Whitehead’s Cedar Springs home and found the toddler unresponsive and not breathing. Ryleigh was pronounced dead at the scene. Police noted that Whitehead was the only adult present at the time of Ryleigh’s death.
Court documents obtained by WOOD, an NBC affiliate in Grand Rapids, revealed details about Whitehead’s police interview. In addition to confessing that she killed Ryleigh, Whitehead also allegedly admitted to killing Ryleigh’s brother, Leonard, who was 2 months old when he died, allegedly of the same rare virus Ryleigh had contracted when she was a newborn.
Leonard’s death had previously been determined to be natural, with the cause of death being “parainfluenza viral-type pneumonia,” the station reported.
According to the report, Whitehead on Nov. 25 wrote and signed a statement reading “I Killed them,” referring to Ryleigh and Leonard.
Police said she confessed several times during the interview that she suffocated Ryleigh with a bag. When asked what she hoped to accomplish, Whitehead allegedly replied she intended that Ryleigh “wouldn’t be here anymore” and that “she’d die.” She also reportedly told police that the stress of having children was too much, saying she “couldn’t take it anymore” and “just wanted it to stop.”
Based on the interview, authorities said they no longer believe Ryleigh or Leonard had ever suffered from parainfluenza.
“Why did you keep putting Ryleigh in the hospital? Was that because you were doing that to make her look sick so later on you could kill her?” a detective asked, per the affidavit.
“I wanted to kill her,” Whitehead allegedly responded.
The detective then asked when Whitehead made the decision to kill her daughter.
“Right after she was born,” she replied.
Video evidence recovered by investigators also appeared to corroborate how Whitehead treated her children. One video supposedly filmed less than a month before Ryleigh’s death was alarming. It reportedly showed one of Whitehead’s older children saying to his mother, “you never even wanted me, you only want me to die. I know you want me to die.” Before the footage ends, the child reportedly says to Whitehead, “just kill me already.”
Additionally, less than a week after Ryleigh’s death, investigators found Whitehead had performed an internet search for “how hard is it to prove if cause of death is suffocation by bag in toddler.”
The medical examiner who conducted Ryleigh’s autopsy was unable to determine the toddler’s cause of death, but noted that asphyxia could “not be excluded.” He reportedly plans to update the manner of death to homicide in light of the recent revelations.
In September 2023, Whitehead spoke to Grand Rapids ABC affiliate WZZM about Ryleigh’s supposed battle with parainfluenza, telling the station that Ryleigh was recovering from her bout with the rare variant of the common virus and even offering advice for parents of sick children.
“Definitely trust your gut instinct, especially when it comes to your children,” Whitehead said after discussing the difficult diagnosis. She also spoke about Leonard, claiming she was shocked by the infant’s sudden death.
“I have went through this before. I had a son two years ago who passed away from parainfluenza,” she claimed. “He just had a cough and then the next day he passed away.”
Since Whitehead was indicted for Ryleigh’s death, investigators with the sheriff’s office reopened the investigation into Leonard’s death, which had initially been ruled as natural due to parainfluenza. Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young on Tuesday said her investigators received a plethora of tips concerning Leonard’s death.
“The detail of this case is something that isn’t normal,” she said during the news conference. “It isn’t what we would normally have to deal with in a child death.”
Chief Assistant Prosecutor Elizabeth Bartlett also addressed reporters, saying her office did not intend to offer Whitehead a plea deal.
Whitehead is currently being held in Kent County Jail without bond. Her arraignment on the additional charges is scheduled for Jan. 14. A preliminary exam on the charges stemming from Ryleigh’s death will take place on Feb. 9.
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