Babysitter Accused of Covering Up Infant’s Death After Aggressive Burping Incident and Hiding Evidence

In a tragic incident in Missouri, a woman named Jennifer Johnson was entrusted with the care of an 8-month-old infant, only to be later accused of the child’s death. Authorities allege that Johnson was deceitful about the circumstances surrounding the infant’s demise, claiming ignorance after allegedly handling the baby roughly during burping and hiding a drenched onesie in a kitchen cabinet.

At 49, Johnson not only misled investigators about the fate of Hannah Kent but fabricated a narrative of falling asleep at the child’s home. In reality, she spent the night texting acquaintances in search of drugs.

This week, Johnson received a life sentence for second-degree murder, following a conviction by a Boone County jury in January, according to court documents.

During the trial, prosecutors detailed the trust placed in Johnson by the infant’s mother, Lanetta Hill, who had asked her to babysit for the first time in April 2021. Hill expressed her anguish at Johnson’s sentencing, sharing through a victim impact statement reported by local ABC affiliate KMIZ, “I left my baby in her care believing she would be safe, loved, and protected.”

“I left my baby in her care believing she would be safe, loved and protected,” Hill said Monday at Johnson’s sentencing, during which she gave a victim impact statement, according to local ABC affiliate KMIZ.

“Instead, my daughter was harmed and lost her life,” Hill told the court. “The person I trusted to watch over my child became the reason I will never hold her again. That betrayal will stay with me forever.”

Police and medical witnesses testified during Johnson’s trial about bruising and brain injuries being found on Hannah that were consistent with recent trauma, KMIZ reports. Hannah’s sister reported seeing Johnson burping the child “aggressively” on the night she died. Baby formula was found on Johnson’s clothing, which also tested positive for “the presence of blood,” according to a probable cause affidavit.

“Detectives located a pink and white onesie in a kitchen pantry on a shelf,” the affidavit said. “The onesie was soaking wet. [Hannah] was reportedly wearing that same onesie when she was left at the residence. When [Hannah] was transported to the hospital … [Hannah] was wearing only a diaper.”

Johnson told police after the child’s death that she “wasn’t aware” that Hannah had died until being told around 11 a.m. that day by her family. This was after Johnson made “reported phone calls” to several people, “in which Johnson seemed aware that [Hannah] had died and even made a reference to [Hannah’s] head injuries.”

During the calls, Johnson “said something like, ‘her head, her head’ and ‘she’s gone,’” according to the affidavit. A friend of hers told police she received a phone call from Johnson at around 9:11 a.m., in which Johnson said “the baby died.”

Johnson claimed she gave Hannah a bottle and put her down for bed at around 2:15 a.m., then went to sleep. But phone records obtained by police showed she stayed up and was texting people throughout the night, inquiring about getting drugs. Johnson denied this and said she “hadn’t done drugs in a long time,” before eventually admitting to using methamphetamine several days earlier.

Hannah’s mother arrived home around 8:30 a.m. that Sunday and found her unresponsive and cold to the touch. The child was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Hill and Johnson had been friends for more than a decade before Hannah’s death.

“I constantly replay the moment I entrusted her care to someone I believe was my friend, and the guilt and heartbreak are unbearable,” Hill said at Johnson’s sentencing. “No punishment can bring my baby back, but I ask the court to fully recognize the severity of this crime, not only the taking an innocent life, but the deep betrayal of trust that made it possible.”

Johnson was sentenced to life in prison on the murder count and 30 years for first-degree child endangerment.