On Wednesday, a Kansas man faced the consequences of his involvement in the tragic death of his young daughter. Joseph Schroer, who entered a no-contest plea to charges of aggravated child endangerment and Medicaid fraud, received a sentence of 48 months probation, reported KWCH.

In the event that Schroer fails to adhere to the conditions of his probation, he faces the prospect of spending 14 months behind bars.

The case, which has drawn significant attention, began when Schroer and his wife, Crystina Schroer, were taken into custody in February. They were implicated in the harrowing death of their 6-year-old adopted daughter, Kennedy Schroer, as outlined by CrimeOnline.

Crystina Schroer faces a series of severe charges including murder, aggravated kidnapping, child abuse/torture, theft, forgery, Medicaid fraud, and desecration of a corpse. Meanwhile, Joseph Schroer’s charges included child abuse/torture, liability for crimes of another, interference with law enforcement, theft, and Medicaid fraud.

The grim discovery of Kennedy’s decomposed body in a trash bag, buried in the backyard of the Schroer residence in September 2024, shocked the community. An autopsy conducted by the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center revealed that the child died from a probable suffocation, classified as a homicide. The report also disclosed that her remains had been buried for four years before being uncovered.

The girl’s decomposed remains were found in a trash bag buried in the backyard of her adoptive parents’ home in September 2024. A post morten report from the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center determined the little girl died from homicide by probable suffocation — and that she had been buried for four years when she was found.

Crystina Schroer pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, child abuse, making false information and theft in August and was sentenced last month to nearly 18 years in prison.

The other counts against Joseph Schroer were dismissed when he entered his plea in October.