From Running Circles Around the Globe: New evidence in the death of Jayda Kyle?

The following is an excerpt from my new book Running Circles Around the Globe: 20 Years of the Turner Report. One of the most tragic stories I've covered in 47 years of being a reporter was the death of 3-year-old Jayda Kyle of Carl Junction in 20

Jalen Vaden, the live-in boyfriend of Jayda's mother, Devyn Kyle, was charged with second degree murder and child abuse and later pleaded guilty to felony child abuse and was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Shortly after his sentencing, Vaden issued a statement through his attorney indicating he had not committed the crime he had just claimed under oath that he committed.

This excerpt begins last year when I received some unexpected correspondence. 

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Except for having an envelope with the return address of the Jefferson City Correctional Center, the letter I received from Jalen Vaden, started no differently than the way people communicated in the days when writing letters was still the fashion.

I hope that this letter finds you well. Even though we’ve never spoken to one another, I feel as if we know each other. Well, more like you know me and that connects us.

You have covered my story from the beginning and I figured you would appreciate hearing directly from me. Timing is everything; this goes right along with that. I have some very groundbreaking information to share with you. I hope you’re willing to help me. This information isn’t known to anyone and I’d like to work with you to share it.

I can’t deny it. That part caught my attention. I kept reading.

Okay, so over the years there has been a large amount of progress on the case through long hours of work, digging and looking, now here we are. So, the report that was included here came from a pathologist that had no connection to the case.

I picked up the report Vaden had enclosed in the envelope and read through it. If what the doctor said was true, it could explain one of the mysteries that surrounded the case since Vaden’s guilty plea and the contradictory statement he issued through his lawyer the same day.

Why had he pleaded guilty, while at the same time insisting he did not harm Jayda? Was he protecting Devyn? Did he love her so much he was willing to sacrifice 22 years of his life? Or was his statement after his plea just a mind game designed to hold out the hope he could figure some way to get himself out of prison at some later date?

Or, as the doctor’s report seemed to indicate was there a possibility that Jayda’s death was not due to abuse from either Jalen Vaden or Devyn Kyle, but instead came as a result of the mysterious illnesses that plagued Jayda during the final months of her life?

 

As you can see, Jayda did not die from any abuse. In fact, he says she passed due to an underlying condition.

Vaden also called into question the pathologist who performed the autopsy, Erik K. Mitchell.

The name becomes important because when you do some research on him, you’ll find more than enough information to discredit anything he says. A woman with a similar case to mine had her case overturned in 2021 and as of January of 2023 was having a new trial due to the negligence of Erik K. Mitchell. Her case was from 2016.

So, this man couldn’t be credible in 2017 when my case took place but wasn’t in 2016 due to his history of getting it wrong.

I’m only giving you a small breakdown of what’s going on.

My goal for all of this is to make noise and allow me to get the help I need because with this information my case can and should be overturned.

Vaden concluded his letter by again saying he hoped I was doing well “and that you’ll be willing to work with me again.”

The “again” part bewildered me. I had never worked with Vaden. All I did was cover the story, through police reports, court documents and by attending a couple of hearings and an NAACP/Black Lives Matter press conference.

Vaden enclosed the letter his attorney received from Dr. Howard Oliver, a forensic pathologist from Long Beach, California:

I have reviewed the materials you sent me in regards to Jayda Kyle. The materials included pre and postmortem photos, autopsy reports and medical records.
I agree with the autopsy report by Dr. Mitchell. It appears to be accurate.

The discoloration on the left cheek appears as the pathologist described it (a small vague discoloration). It does not appear to be a bruise as diagnosed in the hospital report but as a discoloration. There is a similar discoloration on the right upper cheek. The only way to be sure this lesion was a bruise would be to make an incision into the discoloration to determine if there is an underlying hemorrhage.

The retinoschisis seen in the eye may be idiopathic and genetic. Retinoschisis is an eye disease characterized by the abnormal splitting of the retina’s neurosensory layers, usually in the outer plexiform layer. Most common forms are asymptomatic. It is not the same as retinal detachment seen with shaken baby syndrome.

The solid tissue tear of the lower buccal reflection (lower lip) could be explained by an attempt at intubation by the EMS personnel. I do not see evidence of abuse in any of the records sent to me for review. The only objective evidence of previous injury was the partially healed fracture of the left small toe.

The child was found on the floor near her bed. She could have fallen while standing. There is a well-delineated bruise on the upper left parietal area of the scalp.

The pathologist examination of the brain did not include an evaluation of the cerebral (brain arteries and veins) vasculature. Where did the blood come from?

There was no skull fracture nor was there evidence of trauma to the brain (contusions, no tearing of connective tissue, etc.). I saw no evidence indicating a search for the hemorrhage (not in the pediatric medical records, the hospitalization, or the autopsy). The child had a recent history of headaches, vomiting, fever, weight loss and joint pain.

I think it was wholly possible that the child had a vascular abnormality (possibly an aneurysm). It might be prudent for you to get a consult with a neurologist or neuropathologist. It is likely that the symptoms the child was exhibiting originated from such an abnormality (i. e. a berry aneurysm).

A brain aneurysm is a weak bulging spot on the wall of the grain artery very much like a thin balloon or weak spot on the inner tube. Over time, the blood flow within the artery pounds against the tinned portion of the wall and aneurysms form silently from wear and tear on the arteries.

As the artery wall becomes gradually thinner from the dilation, the blood flow causes the weakened wall to swell outward. The pressure may cause the aneurysm to rupture.

No diagnostic workup was done to rule this out.

It is my theory that the child was suffering from an expanding cerebral artery abnormality over the months previous to her deal. The vessel began to degenerate (burst) at her bedtime. She arose from the bed because of the severe pain but passed out on the floor.

It would be prudent to get photographs of the furnishing near the area between her bed and the area in which she fell. There should be an article of furniture on which she struck the left side of her head as she fell.

A protrusion from the furniture (drawer handle, etc.) would have left the rectangular shaped contusion on her scalp.

Despite the apparent new evidence in what Dr. Oliver said, in a phone call from the Jefferson City Correctional Center about a week after I read the doctor’s report, Vaden said he had access to Oliver’s findings before he pleaded guilty.

Checking with sources close to the case, I confirmed another doctor, this one from the University of Missouri, examined the same evidence Dr. Oliver examined and did not reach the same conclusion. He agreed with Dr. Mitchell’s initial findings.

And that brought me back to a point I had made numerous times on the Turner Report.

No matter what people were saying about Jayda’s mother, and there was plenty being said, only one person ever pleaded guilty to the abuse the autopsy said ended the 3-year-old’s life.
It was just as easy for me to believe that Vaden pleaded guilty to prevent any chance of the death penalty or a life sentence being on the table.

I also wondered why Vaden had not entered an Alford plea, not admitting to the abuse, but conceding there was enough evidence to convict him.

 

Of course, it was highly unlikely the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney’s office would have accepted an Alford plea.

I was highly skeptical of Vaden’s evidence. This wasn’t the first time I received a letter from someone who was in prison and claimed to be innocent. People who have years in prison ahead of them are willing to try anything that might bring them freedom, no matter how unlikely it is they will have success.

Still, the doctor’s report was legitimate. It didn’t convince me Vaden was innocent because it is not unusual for experts to completely disagree with each other, especially experts who know what is expected from them.

I was intrigued and it wouldn’t take long to check out the recent problems of Dr. Erik J. Mitchell.

 

That case was interesting, but one case alone was not enough to prove Mitchell had misinterpreted the information in Jayda’s autopsy.

As I continued digging, however, I discovered Dr. Mitchell’s history should have been enough to make anyone question his reliability.

Especially when it could end up sending the wrong man to prison for 22 years.

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FIRST SIGNING FOR RUNNING CIRCLES IS A WEEK FROM TODAY

The first signing for Running Circles Around the Globe: 20 Years of the Turner Report will be held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 27 at Always Buying Books.

The book is available at Always Buying Books, The Book Guy and Changing Hands Book Shoppe in Joplin.

It can also be purchased in paperback or e-book formats from Amazon at the link below:

Running Circles Around the Globe: 20 Years of the Turner Report: Turner, Randy: 9798329192988: Amazon.com: Books