Missouri mother
charged with murder, accused of leaving 2 girls in hot vehicle July 4
A 30-year-old mother is facing murder charges after her two
daughters were found dead last summer, allegedly from being left inside a
hot vehicle in rural Clay County.
A Clay County grand jury on Tuesday
indicted Jenna M. Boedecker on charges that her 2-year-old daughter Ireland
Ribando and newborn Goodknight Ribando died from excessive heat because of
criminally inadequate care after being left in the vehicle for hours on July
4.
Boedecker faces charges of second-degree murder for each of the
children’s deaths, as well as multiple counts of first-degree child
endangerment, domestic assault, armed criminal action and property damage.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office initially didn’t suspect foul play but
later turned the case over to its investigative squad.
According to
authorities, Boedecker told police she and her children slept in the vehicle
after she lost the key to her home the 15600 block of Cameron Road in Clay
County.
When she woke up the next morning, Boedecker told police, her
daughters were unresponsive and not breathing.
She ran to a
neighbor’s house and the neighbor called 911.
The neighbor helped
Boedecker attempt to cool the lifeless children with water, wet rags and
fans.
Paramedics from the Kearney Fire Protection District rushed to
the scene, where they later pronounced the girls dead.
Hours before
the girls were found dead, a social worker from the Missouri Children’s
Division in Clay County went to the family’s home in response to a hotline
call about the children’s welfare. The social worker told police he walked
by the vehicle but did not notice the children inside.
Before
Tuesday’s murder indictment, Boedecker was charged in Clay County Circuit
Court with third-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action and
first-degree property damage for allegedly assaulting her husband the night
before the children were found dead.
Prosecutors said the charges
stemmed from an argument between Boedecker and her husband about his
fidelity.
The grand jury indictment on Tuesday supersedes those
previous criminal charges.
Boedecker remained in custody Tuesday with
bond set at $500,000