KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Prosecutors in Johnson County, Kansas, charged an Overland Park man with first-degree murder of a 3-year-old child left in a hot car in September 2025.
Around 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 3, 2025, first responders responded on a medical call on Kansas Highway 10 at Kill Creek Road near De Soto.
When deputies arrived, they located Tyler Pence, 43, and two children, ages 3 and 1, inside of a car.
Paramedics performed life-saving measures on both children, however the 3-year-old was pronounced deceased at the scene. The 1-year-old was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, though has since recovered.
The investigation into the incident revealed that the children had been left in the car on a hot day.
The findings were sent to the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office, who charged Pence with one count of first-degree murder and one count of felony child endangerment earlier this month.
Pence was arrested and booked into the Johnson County Detention Center on Wednesday, April 22. He remained in custody as of Thursday on a $250,000 bond.
He was set to make his first appearance in court on Thursday.
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