A Michigan mother who publicly spoke about her newborn daughter battling a rare virus has been arrested for allegedly killing the child by repeatedly suffocating her with a bag.
Irene Aiyana Whitehead, 27, was taken into custody last week and charged with first-degree murder and first-degree child abuse in the death of her daughter, Ryleigh Whitehead, earlier this year, according to records.
Authorities responding to a 911 call at Whitehead’s Cedar Springs home on Sept. 3 found Ryleigh unresponsive and not breathing. The child was pronounced dead at the scene, and Whitehead was the only adult present.
Court documents obtained by WOOD, an NBC affiliate in Grand Rapids, reveal chilling details from Whitehead’s police interview. She allegedly admitted not only to killing Ryleigh but also to killing her son Leonard, who was two months old at his death and reportedly died from the same rare virus as Ryleigh. Leonard’s death had previously been ruled natural, attributed to “parainfluenza viral-type pneumonia.”
On Nov. 25, Whitehead wrote and signed a statement saying, “I Killed them,” referring to both children.
Police said she confessed to suffocating Ryleigh multiple times. When asked her intent, Whitehead allegedly said she wanted Ryleigh “wouldn’t be here anymore” and “she’d die.” She reportedly told authorities the stress of raising children was overwhelming, saying she “couldn’t take it anymore” and “just wanted it to stop.”
Authorities now believe neither Ryleigh nor Leonard ever had parainfluenza.
“Why did you keep putting Ryleigh in the hospital? Was that because you were doing that to make her look sick so later on you could kill her?” a detective asked, according to the affidavit.
“I wanted to kill her,” Whitehead allegedly replied.
When asked when she decided to kill Ryleigh, she reportedly said, “Right after she was born.”
Investigators also found video evidence suggesting how Whitehead treated her children. One video filmed less than a month before Ryleigh’s death reportedly shows an older child saying, “You never even wanted me, you only want me to die. I know you want me to die. Just kill me already.”
Less than a week after Ryleigh’s death, Whitehead allegedly searched online: “how hard is it to prove if cause of death is suffocation by bag in toddler.”
The medical examiner could not determine Ryleigh’s cause of death but noted asphyxia could “not be excluded” and plans to update the manner of death to homicide in light of Whitehead’s confessions.
Whitehead has not yet been charged in Leonard’s 2021 death, though prosecutors said such charges remain possible.
In September 2023, Whitehead spoke to WZZM, an ABC affiliate in Grand Rapids, about Ryleigh’s supposed struggle with parainfluenza, offering advice to parents of sick children. She also discussed Leonard’s death, claiming she was shocked by his sudden passing.
“I have went through this before. I had a son two years ago who passed away from parainfluenza. He just had a cough and then the next day he passed away,” she said.
Whitehead is being held in Kent County Jail on $5 million bond and is scheduled to appear in court again for her arraignment on Dec. 10.