New details have emerged from the biological mother of the child finally identified after being dug up in a backyard in Rose Hill.
“It’s kinda like hearing about it for the first time again today considering they finally figured it out,” said Christa Helm, biological mother.
Helm says she is tired, she says it’s been a long day, as DNA evidence confirms the body found buried in the backyard of a Rose Hill home is her biological daughter she named Natalie Marie Garcia. Police identified the remains as 6-year-old Kennedy Jean Schroer.
“She was a really sweet girl,” said Helm.
She says she lost custody of her three children in 2018. The girls’ foster family, Joe and Crystina Schroer from Rose Hill adopted them in 2019. Helm says that, at the time, she disagreed with how the state handled the case.
“I had family there. Their dad had family there willing to take the kids. Nobody wanted to give them the opportunity and they shoved them in these people’s house, like immediately and wanted to keep them there. It was all weird from the beginning to me why wouldn’t they want to place them with family is what I was thinking the whole time,” said Helm.
Before relinquishing custody to the state, Helm says she remembers spending lots of time in parks in Salina with her daughters. She remembers that time fondly.
“She was a good girl, she was a happy baby. Her first word was thank you and then it was pizza because she loved to eat,” said Helm.
Police found her daughter’s remains in the backyard of the Schroer’s home on September 11 after being called to the house for a person in distress.
DNA evidence identified the remains, but because of the level of decomposition, the medical examiner wasn’t able to determine the cause of de*ath.
“I just want justice for her regardless of what the details are or not,” said Helm.
Helm explains what she thinks justice looks like.
“Finding the right people and giving the right charges. Giving her a proper burial and a funeral maybe instead of being you know how everything was. Justice for her sisters to be able to come home with their family,” said Helm.
She says her friend started a GoFundMe for her to help pay for her fight to bring her other daughters back home safely.
“We just need help, we need a lawyer, we need a good one, and it’s going to cost money I don’t have,” said Helm.
