WICHITA, Kansas (Court TV) — A Kansas woman was sentenced Monday to 215 months in prison for the torture and murder of her 6-year-old adopted daughter, ending a case that revealed years of systematic abuse hidden behind a carefully constructed facade.
Crystina Schroer, 46, received the sentence after pleading no contest to charges including second-degree murder in the death of Natalie Garcia, whom she renamed Kennedy Schroer after adoption. Investigators believe the child died in November 2020 when Schroer forced her into a reinforced cardboard box as punishment for moving in bed the previous night.
“This is nowhere near a high enough price for her torturous killing of Natalie Garcia, a beautiful six-year-old child,” Rose Hill Police stated in a lengthy statement released after sentencing.
Crystina Schroer appears at her sentencing hearing on Nov. 10, 2025. (Court TV)
During Monday’s sentencing hearing in Butler County District Court, Judge Jan Satterfield imposed the maximum sentence allowed under the plea agreement. Schroer must serve a minimum of 185 months before becoming eligible for parole.
“You betrayed everyone. You betrayed your family. You betrayed her family. Her people. And you betrayed the community,” Satterfield told Schroer, wiping tears at times. “Everyone involved in this case would like to have answers. There’s no explanation. There is no answer. There’s is no logic. There isn’t a reason why this should ever happen.”
Schroer spoke briefly before she was sentenced. “I apologize to my family, my friends, and the community I love, for any heartache this has caused them,” she said.
Schroer also told the judge her husband, Joseph Schroer, “knew nothing about this.” A retired Air Force veteran, Joseph Schroer pleaded no contest to charges of endangering a child and Medicaid fraud in connection with the investigation. He is scheduled to be sentenced in December 2025.
Natalie Garcia was born on July 14, 2014, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She and her sisters were placed in foster care in 2017 before being adopted by the Schroers in 2019.
Her biological mother, grandmother and sister spoke at Schroer’s sentencing and urged the judge to give her the maximum penalties for each charge.
“I ask God, ‘why, why, why, why her? Why not me?'” Christa Helm, the child’s mother, told the court. “She was a good girl who just needed love. She was so much fun to be around, and her infectious smile could light up an entire room.”
The case began to unravel in late 2024 when authorities discovered Natalie’s remains buried in the backyard of the Schroer family home in Rose Hill, Kansas. Police said Schroer had maintained an elaborate lie for nearly four years, telling family and friends that Natalie had been removed from the home and placed in psychiatric care after allegedly attacking a younger sibling.
Butler County Attorney Darrin D. Devinney provided details at the hearing on the horrific abuse and control Schroer exerted over her adopted children.
MORE | Joseph Schroer to be sentenced for role in adopted daughter’s death
The investigation revealed Schroer and her husband Joseph adopted five girls in November 2019, including Natalie and her two biological sisters. Almost immediately after the adoption was finalized, Schroer began isolating the adopted children and escalating her abuse.
“Crystina Schroer established an environment of extreme control, isolation, abuse. It included things like surveillance within the home. There were multiple interior and exterior cameras that were installed in the home to alert Schroer of any movement, especially of the adopted children,” Devinney said. “She exhibited control and punishment over these kids. Even minor movements at night resulted in harsh punishments. The Children were forced to lie motionless, confined in closets, dog crates, eventually locked in boxes or plastic storage containers.”
On the day Natalie is believed to have died, Schroer forced the 6-year-old into a reinforced cardboard box measuring 16½ inches wide, 14 inches long, and 12½ inches high, Devinney said. She placed heavy blankets and objects on top, limiting airflow and increasing the heat inside the box.
“Crystina made one of Natalie’s sisters sit in the room, watch the box Natalie was in, and report back to Crystina if she was motionless and quiet for the required time,” police stated. “The sister, sobbing, told Crystina she thought her sister was dead, at which time Crystina kicked the box, and an unresponsive Natalie fell out.”
After discovering Natalie was dead, Schroer drove around for hours with the child’s body in her car before returning home and burying the remains in trash bags in the backyard outside of Schroer’s bedroom, Devinney said.
The investigation also revealed a financial motive, Devinney said. She falsely reported various behavioral and medical conditions to increase the per diem payments she received from the state for caring for the children. Police discovered she lost more than $4 million to one casino and online gambling.
“The children were treated as items on a ledger, either bringing income in or taking income away,” police stated.
Devinney emphasized the severity of Schroer’s crimes and the lasting impact on the surviving children. “The defendant’s actions were calculated, deliberate, and designed to inflict maximum suffering,” Devinney said during the hearing.
Defense attorney Jorge De Hoyos argued for the minimum sentence under the plea agreement, citing Schroer’s cooperation with authorities and her desire to spare the surviving children from testifying at trial.
Judge Satterfield rejected the defense’s request for leniency, noting the extensive evidence of torture and abuse.
“The court finds that the defendant’s conduct was particularly heinous and cruel,” Satterfield said before imposing the maximum sentence.
The surviving adopted children, who are now in protective custody, showed signs of severe malnutrition and psychological trauma when removed from the home, Devinney said. One child dropped from the 75th percentile in weight when she arrived at the Schroer home in 2017 to below the 5th percentile when removed in 2024.
Police noted that one of the adopted children tried to report the abuse in 2021 after running away from home, but authorities were unable to substantiate her claims at the time due to Schroer’s manipulation.
“We, law enforcement, were fooled by the façade Crystina had created,” police acknowledged in their statement.
“We hope we can learn through the failures found in this investigation about what to look for and how to take action,” police stated.
This story was reported by Emaneulla Grinberg and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
