Mother Arrested in Child Death Investigation
City of Cedar Springs, Mich: The Kent County Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in the suspicious death of 2-year-old Ryleigh Whitehead of Cedar Springs.
First responders were called to a home on S Allan Street in the City of Cedar Springs for a report of a 2-year-old not breathing on September 3, 2025. The child was found to be deceased.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Unit and Michigan Child Protective Services initiated an investigation that developed evidence of abuse. Specialists in the field of child abuse from across the country assisted in the investigation, including our federal partners and Retired Detective Mike Weber of Tarrant County, Texas Sheriff's Office (Fort Worth).
On November 25, 2025, Irene Whitehead, the mother of the child, was arrested and lodged at Kent County Correctional Facility. This arrest follows months of investigation, which included many interviews and search warrants.
The case was reviewed by the Kent County Prosecutors Office, who authorized two felony charges: Child Abuse 1st Degree and Felony Murder, both punishable by up to life in prison. Whitehead was arraigned on 12/1/2025, and her initial bond set at $5,000,000 was revoked.
The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to thorough investigations to bring justice to victims of crime. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact the Kent County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Unit at 616-632-6125 or submit a tip online at kentcountymi.gov/tips.
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