A Michigan mother, once vocal about her newborn daughter’s struggle with a rare and life-threatening virus two years ago, now faces charges for allegedly taking her child’s life by suffocating her with a bag.

Irene Aiyana Whitehead, 27, was arrested last week and faces charges of first-degree murder and first-degree child abuse in connection with the death of her young daughter, Ryleigh Whitehead, earlier this year, according to court records.

Emergency responders arrived at Whitehead’s Cedar Springs residence on September 3 following a 911 call, where they discovered the child unresponsive and not breathing. The child was pronounced dead at the scene, and police noted that Whitehead was the only adult present at the time of Ryleigh’s death.

In a police interview, as detailed in court documents obtained by WOOD, an NBC affiliate in Grand Rapids, Whitehead allegedly confessed to killing Ryleigh. She also reportedly admitted to the death of Ryleigh’s brother, Leonard, who was only two months old when he died. Initially, Leonard’s death was attributed to the same rare virus that afflicted Ryleigh as a newborn.

Leonard’s cause of death was originally ruled as natural, attributed to “parainfluenza viral-type pneumonia,” the station reported.

On November 25, Whitehead reportedly wrote and signed a statement declaring, “I Killed them,” implicating herself in the deaths of both Ryleigh and Leonard.

Police said she confessed to suffocating Ryleigh with a bag several times during the interview. When asked what she hoped to accomplish, Whitehead allegedly replied she intended that Ryleigh “wouldn’t be here anymore” and that “she’d die.” She also reportedly told police that the stress of having children was too much, saying she “couldn’t take it anymore” and “just wanted it to stop.”

Based on the interview, authorities said they no longer believe Ryleigh or Leonard had ever suffered from 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, per the affidavit.

“I wanted to kill her,” Whitehead allegedly responded.

The detective then asked when Whitehead made the decision to kill her daughter.

“Right after she was born,” she replied.

Video evidence recovered by investigators also appeared to corroborate the heinous way Whitehead seemed to have treated her children. One video supposedly filmed less than a month before Ryleigh’s death was particularly alarming. It reportedly showed one of Whitehead’s older children saying to his mother, “you never even wanted me, you only want me to die. I know you want me to die.” Before the footage ends, the child reportedly says to Whitehead, “just kill me already.”

Additionally, less than a week after Ryleigh’s death, investigators found Whitehead had performed an internet search for “how hard is it to prove if cause of death is suffocation by bag in toddler.”

The medical examiner who conducted Ryleigh’s autopsy was unable to determine the toddler’s cause of death, but noted that asphyxia could “not be excluded.” He reportedly plans to update the manner of death to homicide in light of the recent revelations.

Whitehead has not been charged in the 2021 death of her son, but prosecutors said such charges remain a possibility.

In September 2023, Whitehead spoke to Grand Rapids ABC affiliate WZZM about Ryleigh’s supposed battle with parainfluenza, telling the station that Ryleigh was recovering from her bout with the rare variant of the common virus and even offering advice for parents of sick children.

“Definitely trust your gut instinct, especially when it comes to your children,” Whitehead said after discussing the difficult diagnosis. She also spoke about Leonard, claiming she was shocked by the infant’s sudden death.

“I have went through this before. I had a son two years ago who passed away from parainfluenza,” she claimed. “He just had a cough and then the next day he passed away.”

Whitehead is being held in the Kent County Jail on $5 million bond. She is currently scheduled to appear in court again for her arraignment on Dec. 10.