KENT COUNTY, Mich. — A court decided on Monday that prosecutors have a strong enough case to continue their legal actions against a mother accused of killing two of her children and abusing another.
- Court documents | Mom pleads not guilty to killing newborn son, abusing daughter
Cedar Springs woman Irene Whitehead, 27, is facing charges for the 2021 death of her 2-month-old son Leo, the 2025 death of her 2-year-old daughter Ryleigh and for the abuse of her now 6-year-old daughter in August of 2020 when she was 6-months-old, according to court records.
On Monday, Whitehead had preliminary hearings for all three of the cases against her in the Grand Rapids 63rd District Court, and court officials said all three were bound over to the Kent County 17th Circuit Court, meaning a judge decided prosecutors have enough evidence to continue trial proceedings for the felony charges they’re accusing her of.
The Kent County Prosecutor’s Office first charged Whitehead with first-degree child abuse and first-degree murder on Dec. 1, 2025, for Ryleigh’s death on Sept. 3, 2025. During an interview with investigators, prosecutors said Whitehead confessed to killing Leo, who died in 2021…