The Owen County man charged with stealing 15-month-old Shaylyn Ammerman from her crib last March before raping and killing her pleaded guilty in an unscheduled hearing Friday to charges of murder and kidnapping.
Kyle Joseph Parker, 23, appeared in court last week with his attorney, Jacob Fish, and provided factual basis for the murder and kidnapping charges — just two of a litany Parker is currently facing. Fish and Owen County prosecutor Donald VanDerMoere II are negotiating a plea deal, which is under review by Judge Lori Quillen.
Fish confirmed he and VanDerMoere are negotiating the deal and had no further comment. VanDerMoere had previously said he would seek life in prison without parole for Parker.
On March 23, the night she was abducted from her grandmother’s house, Shaylyn was asleep in her crib, dressed in a onesie with owls on it, with her pacifier and Winnie the Pooh blanket. Parker had been invited over to the house by Shaylyn’s uncle, Adam Ammerman, according to court documents. The two had been hanging out, drinking and watching movies with Shaylyn’s father, Justin Ammerman.
Shaylyn’s grandmother told police she’d found Parker drunk, sitting in a rocking chair and cradling Shaylyn earlier that day.
Around 3 or 4 a.m., Adam awoke to the sound of the front door slamming. He got up and opened a window. Adam yelled at Parker to say goodbye, but Parker just continued walking. Adam noticed Parker was carrying a bulky object and told police he saw something resembling a foot dangling by Parker’s side, but he wasn’t sure. He went back to sleep.
After seeing Shaylyn’s empty crib at 8:30 the next morning, her family members called the police and prompted a massive search effort for the missing toddler involving the FBI, the Indiana State Police, local police forces and other agencies.
Parker lied about his involvement in early encounters with police. At first, Parker said he knew nothing about Shaylyn’s disappearance and he had decided to leave that night because he didn’t feel like staying over with Adam. Later, Parker said Adam had killed Shaylyn and had asked him to help dispose of the body. He told police where to find her, lying bare beside a tree by the banks of the White River in Gosport, Indiana. A polygraph test later showed neither Adam Ammerman nor Justin Ammerman had any involvement in Shaylyn’s death.
After investigators confronted Parker again, he admitted what he had done. He took the girl from her crib and drove toward Gosport in the early hours of the morning, according to court documents. Sometime on the drive, Parker pulled over and allegedly raped her in the front seat of his Pontiac Grand Am. She was still alive when it happened.
Using some type of cloth he had in his car, Parker smothered Shaylyn to death. Before he left her by the river, he cleaned her body and his own with bleach. Parker said it was an effort to destroy DNA evidence and avoid being charged. Parker told police he also burned her belongings — the onesie and the Winnie the Pooh blanket.
Since last March, Parker has been held at the Owen County Jail without bail. At one point, he was placed on suicide watch.
If Quillen accepts the deal, Parker will be sentenced at 9 a.m. Feb. 27.
