Michigan Mom Pleads No Contest in Fatal Beating of Autistic 14-Year-Old Daughter

Vangie Averhart, 37, entered a no-contest plea to child abuse after prosecutors say she beat her daughter Kylee Clark to death. A murder charge was dismissed as part of the deal.

Detroit Mother Pleads No Contest After Autistic Teen Dies From Beating

A 37-year-old Michigan woman has pleaded no contest to child abuse in connection with the death of her 14-year-old daughter, who prosecutors say was beaten to death so her mother could be with her boyfriend, Law & Crime reports.

Vangie Renee Averhart entered the plea in the death of Kylee Clark, who died at a Detroit-area hospital in July 2025 after sustaining a massive brain injury. Under the terms of a plea deal, prosecutors dismissed the murder charge against Averhart. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 7.

Boyfriend left them alone for ten minutes

According to a courtroom account reported by The Detroit News, Averhart's boyfriend testified that he had left Kylee and her mother alone for approximately ten minutes on July 7, 2025, at their Detroit home when Averhart screamed for help. He found the girl in distress and "making a noise," pulled a piece of food from her mouth, and performed CPR before paramedics arrived. Kylee died five days later.

Dr. Marcus DeGraw, a child abuse pediatrician, testified that Kylee had suffered blunt force trauma to the head consistent with multiple direct blows.

"She suffered a massive, significant intracranial injury that ultimately led to her death," DeGraw reportedly said. "She had significant, direct blunt force trauma to the head … probably from multiple, direct blunt force blows … It would take a significant amount of force to cause these types of injuries."

Prosecutors: Averhart wanted to abandon her daughter

Kylee had been diagnosed with autism as well as Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects development and left her nonverbal. Prosecutors alleged that Averhart no longer wished to care for the girl and had made clear she wanted to leave Kylee behind to pursue her relationship.

"Ms. Averhart is only trying to protect herself. She wasn't interested in protecting Kylee," Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Tina Ripley said, according to The Detroit News. "She didn't even want to be with Kylee anymore. She wanted to be with [her boyfriend]. She made that very clear."

Ripley added that Kylee had reportedly been kept in a locked room and that Averhart had told others she "didn't want this child anymore." Child Protective Services had previously investigated Averhart on multiple occasions over concerns about Kylee's safety, according to the Metro Detroit News.

Defense pointed to the boyfriend

Averhart's attorney, Dennis Whittie, argued that the boyfriend was responsible, claiming he had slapped Kylee with an open hand after the girl spilled milk.

"I think we have the wrong person sitting in the chair next to me," Whittie said.

Prosecutors disputed that account, saying the boyfriend denied striking Kylee, had given a consistent version of events throughout the investigation, and passed a polygraph examination. Law & Crime had previously reported that Averhart herself offered several contradictory explanations for her daughter's injuries — first saying Kylee choked on a sandwich, then on a banana, and later pointing to the boyfriend, who was not present at the time of the incident.

Family: father was seeking custody

Kylee's paternal great-uncle Jeffrey Clark told NBC affiliate WDIV that her father had been attempting to gain custody of her in the months before her death.

"And supposedly she said 'you can have her, I don't want her,'" Clark recalled. "Hard to fathom. I don't know if it's some vindictive thing on her part or if she's just pure evil."

Clark described Averhart as having "lied right from the get-go about pretty much everything."

Kylee's obituary, published by Edward Swanson and Son Funeral Home, remembered her as a child with a "vibrant soul" who loved music, colorful surroundings, and the sensory details of everyday life.

"She saw beauty in every color and brought brightness into every room with her spirit," the obituary read. "Whether it was a soft blanket, a crunchy snack, or a rhythmic song, she embraced the world in her own unique way."

Averhart is due back in court for sentencing on August 7.

Source: Law & Crime