Missing Toddler Olivia Jansen’s Father Arrested After Remains Found in Kansas City

The father of a 3-year-old and his girlfriend have been arrested after a body believed to be the man’s missing daughter was found in a wooded area near Kansas City, Kansas, over the weekend. Howard Jansen, 29, and Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick, 33, were taken into custody Saturday after a child’s body was found partially hidden in a forest. The couple had reported the child missing on Friday, prompting authorities to issue and Amber Alert to help find her. But when the remains were found, both Jansen and his girlfriend were taken into custody and the Amber Alert cancelled.

The two face potential charges of first-degree murder and child abuse. Kansas City Police annouced the discovery of the remains in a Facebook post on Saturday. “We are deeply saddened to announce that in the last 30 minutes our officers have discovered a body in the 3400 block of Steele that we believe to be that of missing 3-year-old Olivia Jansen,” they wrote. “This is not the outcome we wanted, in fact it is the worst outcome.” The little girl’s biological mother is holding a vigil Sunday night in the area where the body was found.