Child Death Mystery: Mother Jailed For Unrelated Domestic Battery

CLAY COUNTY, MO — Authorities have identified two sisters found dead outside their home in Clay County on 4th of July as 2-year-old Ireland Autumn Jane Ribando and Goodknight Beretta June Ribando, 7 weeks old. As authorities continue to investigate their deaths, their mother, Jenna Boedecker Ribando, is being held on unrelated domestic violence charges stemming from a July 3 incident.

The cause of the children's deaths remains unknown. Authorities said Thursday that neither drowning nor guns appear to be involved in the death of the children, who had no apparent physical injuries. The girls' mother found them not breathing outside the home around noon on the Fourth of July holiday, said Clay County sheriff's Capt. Will Akin, according to The Associated Press.

The mother ran to a neighbor's home and the neighbor called authorities. The incident was reported near state Route 92, near Kearney.

Initially, authorities indicated they did not suspect foul play in the deaths. On Thursday night, however, criminal investigators were asked to join the case.

According to Fox 4 News, Jenna Boedecker Ribando is accused of throwing a brick at her husband's truck before crashing her Jeep Patriot into his Ford F-150 on July 3, the day before the girls were found dead.

Husband Joe Ribando said he went to his mother's house, where was was staying when investigators contacted him July 4 to notify him of his daughters' deaths, according to Fox. Jenna Boedecker Ribando was taken into custody Thursday on the domestic battery charges for the incident with her husband an was being held on $75,000 bond.

“The only thing I’m comfortable saying is she’s charged with assault. And it’s too early for me to put labels on something when we’re trying to determine exactly what happened,” Clay County Deputy Jon Bazzano told KCTV News following her arrest.

As of Friday, a GoFundMe campaign launched to help the family had raised nearly $7,000 towards a $20,000 goal. Donations will be used to help with funeral expenses, according to the campaign, which noted, "Anything you can donate will be appreciated and allow the family to focus on healing during this tragic time and not stress about paying for a service."

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