Kansas woman gets 31-year sentence in death of 3-year-old

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) – A Kansas woman has been sentenced to more than 31 years in prison for killing a 3-year-old girl in a case that drew attention to the agency responsible for overseeing young children in the state.

The Kansas City Star reports that Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick was sentenced Monday, a little more than a month after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and interfering with a law enforcement investigation.

Olivia Ann Jansen of Kansas City, Kansas, died in July 2020. A medical examiner’s report showed that she had signs of physical abuse and died of a brain bleed.

The child’s father, Howard Jansen III, also is charged with murder and goes to trial in May.