Missouri man allegedly killed toddler who wouldn't put on pajamas
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. – A 22-year-old man is charged with murder after he allegedly threw his girlfriend's daughter to the ground because the 3-year-old didn't put on her pajamas. Jalen Vaden is charged with abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death and second degree murder in the death of Jayda Kyle on November 27.
CBS affiliate KOAM reports that police describe Vaden as the girl's mother's "live-in boyfriend."
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by the station, Carl Junction Police Department officers arrived at the home just after 9 p.m. on November 27 and found Jayda unresponsive.
Vaden told police that he told Jayda to put on her pajamas and when she didn't, threw her down on the floor "causing her to strike her head." He then allegedly threw her on a bed, and then took the girl by the leg and tossed her "face first" onto the floor. Vaden told police he then left the room and later returned to find the girl bleeding and unresponsive.
According to the affidavit, Jayda was transported to Mercy Hospital in Joplin then airlifted to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City where she was diagnosed with "abusive head trauma" by child abuse physicians. She was declared dead on December 1.
KOAM reports that Carl Junction's police chief says Kyle's mother has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
