Police say a Michigan mother charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter in September 2025 may be responsible for the death of another one of her children back in 2021. Irene Aiyana Whitehead, 27, allegedly told police she suffocated her 2-year-old daughter, Ryleigh Whitehead, after initially claiming the child died from a rare virus. After speaking with investigators, it came to light that Whitehead said her son, Leonard, had died of the same virus in 2021, at just 2 months old. Now, the mother claims she killed baby Leonard as well. But why?
White claimed both Ryleigh and Leonard died from parainfluenza, per Law & Crime. Both allegedly contracted the disease as newborns. When Leonard died, his mother set up a GoFundMe account to cover his final expenses. Authorities apparently didn’t consider the infant’s death suspicious at the time, but now Whitehead claims she killed both of her children.
The mother spoke with WZZM in 2023 to warn parents about the dangers of parainfluenza. “I have went through this before. I had a son two years ago who passed away from parainfluenza. He just had a cough, and then the next day he passed away,” Whitehead said.
“Definitely trust your gut instinct. Especially when it comes to your children,” she urged parents.
According to court documents obtained by Fox 17, Whitehead told her mother in an instant message conversation in April that she struggled with parenting and didn’t want multiple children. At the time, Whitehead had two living children, Ryleigh and a 7-year-old daughter. Detectives also had a recording from Whitehead’s home, in which you can reportedly hear her older daughter yelling in the background.
“You never even wanted me. You only want me to die. I know you want me to die,” she allegedly said. “Just kill me already.”
Whitehead reportedly searched for ways to cover up the suffocation death of a toddler. During an interview with detectives, the mother repeatedly told them she “wanted it to stop,” Fox 17 reported. Investigators pressed until Whitehead ultimately confessed to causing Ryleigh’s death via suffocation with a plastic bag.
“Try it again. Let yourself be honest. At least give yourself that,” the detective said. “I killed her,” she answered.
Whitehead faces first-degree murder charges in Ryleigh’s death and could spend the rest of her life in prison, per Fox 17. Prosecutors have not charged her with Leonard’s death, but that could change.
With the number of people wishing they could have children, these cases hit particularly hard. If she killed her kids, she should never set foot outside a jail cell ever again.
